The film L’auberge espagnole created a monument to life in an international student flat in Barcelona. The shared apartment is still a popular accommodation option among international students for studying in Spain. In addition, students can of course live differently there.
Student residences in Spain
The Spaniards call student residences Residencias Universitarias or Colegios Mayores. In contrast to the Residencias Universitarias, the Colegios Mayores also offer various leisure activities for residents. There you can take part in various cultural, sporting or religious activities.
Living in a student residence
Students have the option of a dorm in Spain Single room to inhabit or with other students, a shared room to share. A shared room is of course only recommended for sociable people, as it offers little privacy. On the other hand, if you get along with your new roommates, you always have someone to talk to. Whether single or shared room: Connecting to find, many is not difficult dorm. After all, a lot of people live there together who, as students, have some things in common. And especially at the beginning of their studies or semester abroad, all new students try to make friends.
The other side of the coin: Where several people live together it can often be noisy, which is of course perceived as annoying, especially during the examination phases. In addition, other students in the dormitory may have less strict or stricter ideas about cleanliness than you do yourself. This can lead to conflicts, especially with regard to shared rooms. In addition, some of the student residences have fixed closing times for the night, which residents should adhere to if they do not want to stand in front of closed doors. In such cases, you are not completely free to decide whether you want to come and go.
In Spain, a country that is a member of European Union defined by naturegnosis, it is not uncommon to book accommodation in a student residence with meals. Both full and half board are often offered, with meals usually taking place at predetermined times. Accommodation with is of course more expensive than accommodation without meals. However, not all dormitories have cooking facilities for the students.
For a service fee, students can sometimes have their towels and bed linen washed regularly. In some dormitories, however, like kitchen accessories, you have to bring them yourself. Students should find out in advance what is available and what is not. Usually the rooms are furnished. Depending on the dormitory, there may be various services, such as the laundry service mentioned or, for example, a cleaning service.
In addition to student residences run by the universities themselves, there are also residences from private providers. Students in Spain will find mixed dormitories, but also dormitories only for male or female students.
The contact person for students who want to rent a room in a student residence is often the university’s international office. Some of the students also turn to the Housing Service or can reserve a room online directly at the dormitory. Some student residences are closed during the holidays.
Cost of a room in a student residence
The student residence hall is generally considered to be the cheapest option for accommodation for studying in Spain. Depending on the city, university and dormitory, it can also happen that living in a dormitory is more expensive than other options.
If you book a room without boarding, you pay a monthly rent of around EUR 250. A room plus board is naturally more expensive. Here, students should calculate at least around EUR 500 per month. The additional costs are partly included in the rent. Whether and to what extent depends, among other things, on the student residence and the length of stay. To reserve a room, some students have to pay a deposit. The student residences in Spain are often located near the campus. This means that the transport costs to the university are either low or completely eliminated.
Advantages and disadvantages of student dormitories in Spain
| Advantages | Disadvantage |
| You can quickly find a connection in the student dormitory | Little privacy in shared rooms |
| Often the cheapest accommodation | Dormitories are partly closed during the holidays |
| Accommodation can be booked with meals | Partly fixed closing times for the night |
| Often located near campus | Different ideas about cleanliness among the students |
| Little or no transport costs to the campus | High noise level |
| The additional costs can be included in the rent | |
| The rooms are furnished | |
| Services such as changing sheets and towels | |
| Leisure activities in the Colegios Mayores |
Apartment or shared flat
If you do not want to live in a student residence, you can also look for your own apartment in Spain or move into a shared apartment. Spanish students live less often in shared apartments than, for example, students in Germany. The student shared apartments in Spain are therefore often international. Students in Spain can be confronted with classic flat-share disputes such as dishes that have not been washed or taking out rubbish just as they do at home. Like student dormitories, shared apartments offer the opportunity to make new friends quickly. If you live with students who have been living in the study city for a long time, you can get to know them from an insider’s perspective right from the start. Students who would like to live alone have the option of renting their own apartment. Some rooms and apartments can also be rented furnished.
Having your own apartment or a room in a shared apartment gives you greater freedom of choice when choosing the location of your accommodation for studying in Spain. Living in the trendy district of Madrid or near the beach in Barcelona? With a suitable budget – and of course the appropriate geographical opportunities – students can choose their place of residence according to their taste.
