Find student housing in Aachen: shared flat, studio or residence?

Residence, shared flat or studio: the options for a student in Aachen, 2026 prices, neighborhoods to target and paperwork to plan ahead.

The Remoters editorial team

Published on

30 October 2023

Updated on

6 October 2026

Positive client review with photo, 5-star rating, BFM TV, Le Parisien and France 2 logos on a blue background.

As a student in Aachen, you have three options: a room in a Studierendenwerk residence, a room in a shared flat (WG, for Wohngemeinschaft), or a studio rented on the private market. The residence is the cheapest and simplest, but the wait is counted in months. The shared flat is the most common solution: a room there costs an average of €526 per month including charges in 2026, according to the Studentenwohnreport by MLP and the Institut der deutschen Wirtschaft.

Demand is strong because the city lives to the rhythm of its universities. According to the statistics office IT.NRW, RWTH Aachen had 43,845 students in the 2025-2026 winter semester (provisional figure) and FH Aachen 13,427, Jülich campus included. At the October 2026 start of term, RWTH alone welcomes about 10,000 new bachelor's and master's students. Here is how to choose, how much to plan for and how to go about it.

Two hands exchanging keys, with icons and text about support, reviews and human availability.

Residence, shared flat or studio: comparing the three options

The Studierendenwerk residences

The Studierendenwerk Aachen manages about 5,000 places in 24 residences in Aachen and Jülich: single rooms with shared kitchen and sanitary facilities, rooms with shower and WC, apartments, shared flats and housing for students with children. Almost all are rented partly furnished, with internet access. They are open to students of RWTH, FH Aachen (Jülich included), KatHO and the Aachen branch of the Musikhochschule Köln.

Their big advantage is the all-inclusive rent: heating, water, electricity and television are generally included, so there is no end-of-year charges adjustment. The deposit is worth two months' rent, paid before signing and earning no interest.

The downside is the wait. According to the Studierendenwerk, expect about six months if you apply for the whole range, and more than a year if you target only one type of housing, an apartment for example. On 15 September 2026, the Studierendenwerk Aachen had the longest waiting list in Germany, with 11,170 students registered, according to the Deutsches Studierendenwerk survey.

The shared flat (WG)

This is the most widespread option. A room in a WG costs an average of €526 per month, charges included (Warmmiete), up 4.7% year on year according to the 2026 Studentenwohnreport. For comparison, the same report gives €672 in Cologne, the most expensive city in North Rhine-Westphalia. Aachen is therefore still more affordable than the region's big cities, but the gap is narrowing.

In Germany, a shared flat is often formed by interview: the current flatmates receive several candidates and choose. Introduce yourself in a few lines, state your studies and the length of your stay, and reply to listings quickly.

The studio

To live alone, expect between €520 and €780 per month excluding charges for a studio, with Nebenkosten (charges) added, about €2.50 per square metre per month. The average cold rent in Aachen is around €11.53 per square metre according to the 2025 Mietspiegel. The studio offers more peace and quiet, but it is rarely compatible with a tight student budget.

Together we will find your home

Person in a hat pulling an orange suitcase while travelling.

Get help!

Neighborhoods to consider

Pontviertel: student life in the centre

Lively and central, the Pontviertel is the student neighborhood par excellence. Rents there are among the highest in the city, around €12 to €16 per square metre. Ideal for living on foot, less so for saving money.

Westviertel: near RWTH

Residential and well served, the Westviertel is close to RWTH, with mid-range rents. It is a good choice if your classes are on the west side.

Frankenberger Viertel and Burtscheid

The Frankenberger Viertel, residential with its weekly market, has mid-range rents. Burtscheid, south of the centre, known for its thermal springs, is more family-oriented, with mid-range to high rents.

Laurensberg, Haaren, Brand, Forst: quieter, more affordable

Laurensberg is quiet and green, with mid-range rents. Haaren, Brand and Forst, on the outskirts, are the most affordable, with rents from about €10 per square metre. Check the bus travel time to your faculty before you commit.

Application, paperwork and pitfalls to avoid

For private housing, landlords generally ask for:

ID or a passport;
proof of means: a grant certificate, bank statements or a guarantor's commitment;
a certificate of enrolment (Immatrikulationsbescheinigung) or your admission letter;
often a Schufa report, the German credit history, which newcomers do not always have: explain this and compensate with a guarantor or proof of means.

A few rules to know:

Security deposit (Kaution): on the private market, it is capped by law at three months' rent excluding charges (§ 551 BGB). In Studierendenwerk residences, it is two months' rent.
Anmeldung: registering your address at the town hall is mandatory within two weeks of moving in. You need the landlord's confirmation (Wohnungsgeberbestätigung): ask for it at signing.
Pay nothing before viewing the home, yourself or through someone you trust, and checking the landlord's identity.
Do an inventory with photos on move-in, to get your deposit back when you leave.
In a house-share, check who signs the lease and whether you are the main tenant or a subtenant.

When and how to start

The Studierendenwerk recommends applying as soon as you know Aachen or Jülich is a possibility: admission or enrolment is not required to apply, only the certificate of enrolment is required at signing. Your chances increase if you stay flexible on the move-in date and the type of housing. For a start in the winter semester, it advises renting from August or September.

The Studierendenwerk also points to other leads: the WohnDuo project, which it oversees, the housing exchange on the Extraraum platform, run with the city, the schools and student associations, and the housing advice of the AStA, the student representative bodies. In parallel, start the house-share search as soon as your dates are known, with your application ready in digital form.

If you are preparing your arrival from France, it is hard to go through house-share interviews, view homes and read a lease in German remotely. A Remoters home finder based in Aachen can search for you according to your school and budget, view homes, prepare the application and review the lease before you sign. The first conversation and the quote are free.