With no campus or university residence on the island, students in Saint-Martin rent privately: shared flat or studio, rents, neighbourhoods and financial help.
Looking for student housing in Saint-Martin means first understanding a market that was not designed with students in mind. The French side of the island has no university campus: the Université des Antilles splits its five campuses between Guadeloupe and Martinique. There is therefore no Crous university residence on site. The students living in Saint-Martin are mostly enrolled on BTS courses in the island's lycées (61 at the start of the 2024 school year according to the IEDOM), or come for an internship, a work-study placement or a first job.
For them, the choice comes down to two options: sharing a two- or three-room apartment, or renting a studio on their own. Either way, they have to go through the private rental stock, where supply is limited and furnished homes dominate. According to long-term rental listings observed in 2025, a studio rents for between €850 and €1,220 per month, and a 3-room apartment (T3) for between €950 and €2,780.
Insee sums it up in its July 2026 study: the limited range of post-baccalaureate courses explains why young people who want to continue their studies leave. In 2022, only 23% of 18-to-24-year-olds living in Saint-Martin were in education, compared with 46% in Guadeloupe. The Collectivité also supports those who leave to study elsewhere through the Aide à la mobilité des étudiants, worth €2,000 to €5,500 a year depending on the level of study; 622 students benefited from it in 2023-2024, according to the IEDOM.
On the housing side, pressure remains high despite the population decline. Between 2012 and 2022, the number of main residences under 40 m² rose by 17%, while the number of homes over 100 m² fell by 24%. At the same time, 15% of homes are vacant, often for lack of repair work after Hurricane Irma, and 11% are second or occasional homes, a share that Insee partly links to short-term rentals aimed at tourists. The result: few affordable small homes available year-round, and direct competition with working people and civil servants on assignment.
With rents like these, sharing a home is often the only way to stick to a student budget. Listings observed in 2025 put a 2-room apartment (T2) at between €790 and €1,450 per month and a 3-room apartment (T3) at between €950 and €2,780. For two people in a T2 at the low end of the range, each person's share comes to around €400; for three people in a well-located T3, it often stays above €500. These shares are simple divisions, excluding water, electricity and internet, which are generally paid by the tenant.
Listings for shared flats as such are rare. Most often, two or three people rent a furnished apartment together. In that case, check who signs the lease, whether everyone is named on it, and how the deposit will be returned if one of the flatmates leaves. Put the split of the rent and bills in writing from the start.
A studio or 1-room apartment (T1) of 25 to 40 m² rents for between €850 and €1,220 per month in the listings observed in 2025. It is the simplest option for an internship of a few months, but also the most expensive per square metre. Furnished homes are generally a little more expensive than unfurnished ones, but they save you from equipping a home for a short period.
There are none on the island. If you continue your studies at the Université des Antilles, in Guadeloupe or Martinique, or in mainland France, that is where the question of a place in a Crous residence arises. The application goes through the Dossier social étudiant on messervices.etudiant.gouv.fr. For the 2026-2027 year, the campaign was open from 2 March to 31 May 2026, and complete applications processed before 31 May were given priority for housing allocation. Remember the calendar for the following year: it is set each spring.
For a student or an intern, the main criterion remains the journey to the place of study or work. The descriptions below are based on the listings and supply observed in 2025.
Plan for two to three months' rent at signing: first month's rent, deposit and, if you go through an agency, its fees and the inventory check. For a studio or 2-room apartment in Marigot or Concordia, expect a move-in budget of between €1,700 and €3,500. Add the cost of opening the water and electricity meters and the internet subscription.
Since the agreement signed in 2025 between the Collectivité, the State and Action Logement, several schemes are available to residents of Saint-Martin, according to Outremers360. The Visale guarantee, which acts as a guarantor for young people and employees and reassures the landlord against unpaid rent, is the most useful for a student with no guarantor locally. The Loca-Pass advance can fund the deposit, and the Mobili-Pass aid covers some costs linked to a change of job. Check your eligibility before you start looking: a guarantee you already hold makes your application stronger.
Note also that the Collectivité has had responsibility for housing since 2012, according to the IEDOM: some rules may differ from those in mainland France. Have every clause of the lease explained to you.
If you are preparing an internship or a BTS start from Guadeloupe, Martinique or mainland France, it is hard to visit and react fast enough in such a narrow market. A Remoters home finder based in Saint-Martin can search for you according to your place of study and your budget, visit homes, put together your application and review the lease before you sign. The first conversation and the quote are free.
Short answers to the questions our readers ask, written to stand on their own.
Sources cited in this article
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