Student housing in Lausanne: the whole search for EPFL

Residence or private market: how to organise your housing search in Lausanne when you enter EPFL, from the timeline to the application.

The Remoters editorial team

Published on

7 July 2025

Updated on

6 October 2026

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Once admitted to EPFL, you actually have two searches to run in parallel: a place in a student residence, which you may not get, and a room or studio on the private market in the Lausanne area. EPFL does not own its own housing stock; the residences are managed by foundations and other organisations, and the school's Housing service mainly directs its students to rooms with private individuals. This page follows the search from start to finish: the timeline, the private market, the application, the rent guarantee and the pitfalls to avoid.

The starting point is simple: very few homes are available. On 1 June 2026, the canton of Vaud had 3,907 vacant homes, a rate of 0.87% according to Statistique Vaud, far from the 1.5% threshold that marks a balanced market and which has not been reached since 1999. In the Ouest lausannois district, where the Écublens campus is located, the rate rose from 0.47% to 0.67% in a year, a very relative improvement.

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Why residences are not enough

Student residences are the simplest solution when you arrive from abroad, because they do not require a Swiss guarantor. But they cannot house everyone. In summer 2025, the director of the Fondation Maisons pour Étudiants Lausanne (FMEL), the region's main manager of student housing, told the newspaper Le Temps that there were more than 2,000 requests for the start of term and that more than 1,300 applications would be turned down. He added that nearly 80% of the students housed by the foundation study at EPFL, and that some end up renting poor-quality housing from private landlords, or even sleeping at a campsite.

The practical conclusion: apply for a residence, but build a plan B on the private market from the outset. The details of the residences near the campus and their allocation rules are covered on another page of this site; this one focuses on everything else.

The timeline for a successful search

EPFL's Housing service gives clear advice: start as early as possible and apply for several homes at once. Here is how to organise the months leading up to the September start of term.

As soon as you apply to EPFL: identify your status (Bachelor, Master, CMS, exchange), because some housing is reserved for them. It is shown on your admission letter. Open your accounts with the residences and note their registration dates.
In spring: prepare your application (ID, proof of studies or pre-registration, proof of income) and set your housing budget based on the cost of living in Switzerland; the Housing service publishes an estimated monthly budget.
As soon as possible: check the UNIL-EPFL listings portal every day, reserved for students of both schools, where individuals and agencies post rooms, shared flats and lease takeovers.
A few weeks before you arrive: multiply your contacts and viewings, including by video call. The Housing service recommends having arranged several viewings before you arrive in Lausanne.
If you arrive without housing: take a temporary solution and search on the spot. EPFL's Housing Information office itself offers 7 temporary rooms at the Les Estudiantines residence, in Saint-Sulpice, reserved for people attached to the school.

The private market: rooms first

For a student without an employment contract in Switzerland, the most realistic route is a room: in a shared flat or with a host. EPFL's Housing service advises targeting room listings on the UNIL-EPFL portal first, then independent room rental sites, whose listings mostly come from private individuals. A few rules it gives for this type of search:

phone rather than write when the listing gives a number, as contact is faster;
as soon as you like a room, tell the landlord without waiting;
sign a rental or sublease contract, even with a private individual; EPFL provides templates;
take out household insurance and liability insurance.

Do not restrict your area too much. According to the Housing service, a commute of about 30 minutes between your home and EPFL matches the current situation in the region. The municipalities of Renens, Prilly and Écublens, linked by the M1 metro and the TL buses, have lower rents than central Lausanne; Sébeillon, which is being transformed, also offers recent buildings at rents that are more accessible than in sought-after areas like Ouchy or the Flon.

Together we will find your home

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Studio or apartment: the agency route

Renting a studio or an apartment in your own name is possible, but much harder. In Lausanne, a studio rents from CHF 1,200 per month on the outskirts, and a 2-room apartment between CHF 1,500 and CHF 2,200. Rents offered on the Vaud market are on the rise again: according to the Banque Cantonale Vaudoise, which relies on Wüest Partner indices, they rose by 2.5% in 2025 and by 10.9% since the start of 2022.

Above all, agencies and property managers often ask foreign nationals without an employment contract in Switzerland for additional guarantees, first and foremost a Swiss guarantor. EPFL's Housing service warns that rental applications for studios and apartments made this way rarely succeed for students, and advises not to search only this way. If you want to try your luck:

before viewing, ask the agency for its conditions: whether it accepts a rental to a foreigner without a Swiss guarantor, and the amount of the rent guarantee;
view quickly: for unfurnished homes, most agencies require a viewing before any rental application;
submit a complete application: ID for each signatory (and for the guarantor), a certificate from the Debt Enforcement Office for people who have lived in Switzerland for more than three months, the last three payslips of the signatory or the guarantor, an EPFL certificate of studies and, where applicable, a dated and signed statement from the guarantor.

Rent guarantee and Swiss guarantor: do not confuse them

The rent guarantee is a deposit. In the canton of Vaud, it cannot exceed three months of net rent; it must be paid into a blocked bank account in the tenant's name and is returned to you when you leave if nothing is held against you. A surety company can replace it, which avoids tying up that sum.

The Swiss guarantor is a person living in Switzerland who commits by signature to paying the rent if you do not. It can be required in addition to the guarantee. A surety company cannot play this role: it only covers the rent guarantee. This is often the point that blocks international students, hence the appeal of rooms with private individuals and of residences.

Scams to recognise

EPFL's Housing service reports regular scam attempts. The warning signs it lists:

a rent far below the market, justified by a touching story;
a landlord who cannot show the home because they are abroad or travelling;
a request for a copy of your ID and proof of income in the very first message;
a payment requested by Western Union, MoneyGram or to an account abroad.

Never pay for a simple viewing, call the number on the listing, do a reverse search of the photos, and pay the money into a Swiss bank account in the name of the person you are dealing with. If you have doubts about a listing on the UNIL-EPFL portal, the Housing service can help you assess it.

Getting help on the ground

Searching from abroad in such a tight market takes time and a presence that many students do not have before the start of term. A Remoters home finder based in Lausanne can search for a room or studio for you, view in your place, put together your application and review the lease before signing. The first conversation and the quote are free.