housing search Oct 15, 2026

Student housing in Copenhagen: A guide for new students

By Bolighub Published Oct 15, 2026 Updated Oct 15, 2026 Reading time: 18 min.
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The hardest part of starting to study in Copenhagen is rarely the studying. It is finding somewhere to live that you can afford. In 2026, SU, the Danish state education grant, is DKK 7,426 a month before tax for students in higher education who don’t live with their parents. By comparison, a typical one-room apartment in Copenhagen costs DKK 9,525 a month in rent alone, based on the apartments listed on Bolighub on 14 October 2026.

So the numbers rarely add up for a flat of your own from day one. This guide gives you an overview of the types of student housing, a budget based on current rents, a timeline from admission to move-in, and the mistakes many new students make.

The four typical housing options for students

Most new students in Copenhagen end up in one of four types of housing. Each has its pros and cons when it comes to price, security and waiting time.

Type of housingHow quickly?SecurityHousing benefit?
Hall of residence (kollegium) or youth housing (ungdomsbolig)From a few months to several yearsHigh, as long as you are actively studyingOnly with your own kitchen
Room with a private landlord or a tenantOften quicklyLow, often short noticeUsually not, as the kitchen is shared
Shared flat with one or more othersMediumDepends on the lease and on what you agree between youDepends on the home and the household
Your own apartmentMediumUsually highYes, if the conditions are met

Housing benefit generally requires your own kitchen. According to Borger.dk (in Danish), the rental home must have its own kitchen, and you must live there permanently. A room in a hall of residence with a shared kitchen, or a room in someone else’s apartment, therefore normally doesn’t give you the right to boligstøtte (housing benefit). Always plan your budget without housing benefit until you have checked.

Halls of residence and youth housing

For many students, a hall of residence (kollegium) or a youth housing unit (ungdomsbolig) is the cheapest and most stable option. The waiting time, on the other hand, is the biggest challenge.

How to get on the waiting list

In Copenhagen there are several ways in:

  • Shared waiting lists. Kollegiernes Kontor i København (KKIK) runs the waiting lists for a large number of halls of residence and youth housing. Centralindstillingsudvalget (CIU) also handles admission to a number of halls.
  • Halls with their own admission. Some halls choose their residents themselves, often based on a motivated application. A few have extra requirements, for example that you have a certain amount of study time left, or that you have already completed part of your programme.
  • Subletting in a hall of residence. Residents who are going on exchange, for example, sometimes sublet (fremleje) their room. This can be a good temporary solution, but make sure you know the rules on subletting before you sign.

According to KKIK, you can create an application up to 3 months before your expected start of studies. It is free to be on the list, but you need to remember to renew your application regularly, and an offer you don’t reply to counts as a refusal. Waiting times vary a lot. Some halls can make you an offer within a couple of months, while others have waiting times of several years. Check the current waiting time for each hall before you choose where to apply.

You must be actively studying

Public youth housing (almene ungdomsboliger) is meant for young people in education. The housing organisation must check at least once a year that residents still meet the conditions. This follows from § 53 of the Social Housing Act (almenboligloven) and § 85(2) of the act on renting public housing (lov om leje af almene boliger). In practice, this means:

  • You usually have to document your admission before or shortly after you move in.
  • You must reply when the housing organisation asks for documentation that you are actively studying. If you don’t do so by the deadline, you risk having your lease terminated.
  • When you finish or drop out of your programme, you generally have to move out. It may be possible to have the termination postponed for a period.

Private and self-governing halls (selvejende kollegier) can have their own rules on how long you can live there and what documentation you must provide. So always read the hall’s statutes and your lease.

Housing benefit in a hall of residence

If your room has its own kitchen or a kitchenette with water and drainage, you may be able to get housing benefit. If you only have access to a shared kitchen, you generally can’t. Ask the hall how the room is laid out, and use the calculator on Borger.dk before you count on the money.

Rooms and shared flats

When the waiting lists are long and the start of term is getting close, a room is often the fastest solution. It helps to know the most important rules before you move in.

A room in the landlord’s own home

If you rent a room in an apartment or a house the landlord lives in, then according to Social- og Boligministeriet (the Ministry of Social Affairs and Housing), both you and the landlord can generally terminate the agreement with 1 month’s notice without giving a particular reason. The landlord can’t agree to a shorter notice period, but you can agree to a longer one. This gives you flexibility, but also less security. In the worst case, you could be left without a home in the middle of a semester.

Good to know about deposits and prepaid rent: under § 59 of the Rent Act (lejeloven) (in Danish), a landlord can ask for a depositum (deposit) of no more than 3 months’ rent. The forudbetalt leje (prepaid rent) can be no more than 3 months’ rent, and it also can’t be more than the rent you will pay from the time you give notice until the tenancy ends. With a short notice period, the prepaid rent should therefore also be low.

A room from a tenant (fremleje)

If the person you rent from is a tenant themselves, it is a sublet (fremleje). There must then be a written contract, and your sublandlord is still responsible to their own landlord. Ask to see that the sublet is in order.

Sharing a flat with others

Sharing a larger apartment with one or two others often gives you the most space for your money. Before you sign, agree on these points:

  • Who is on the lease, and who pays what to the landlord?
  • How do you split the deposit, utilities and internet?
  • What happens if one of you wants to move out? Who finds someone new, and who has to approve them?
  • How does the person who moves out get their share of the deposit back?

Write your agreement down, even if you are friends. It is much easier to make the agreement now than to resolve a conflict during exam time.

Register your new address

You must register your move no later than 5 days after moving in, according to Borger.dk (in Danish). If your name isn’t on the door, write the owner’s or tenant’s name in the c/o field. The municipality can ask the person you live with to confirm that you live there.

What does it cost? Rents in Copenhagen according to Bolighub’s figures

The figures below are median rents for homes listed on Bolighub in Copenhagen on 14 October 2026. The median is the middle price, so half of the homes cost more and half cost less. Utilities such as heating, water and electricity often come on top. In Danish listings the living room counts as a room, so a 2-room apartment usually has one bedroom.

Type of homeMedian rent per monthListings
RoomDKK 10,15137
1-room apartmentDKK 9,525426
2-room apartmentDKK 14,800298
3-room apartmentDKK 17,700322
4-room apartmentDKK 20,300201

Three things are worth noting:

  • The figure for rooms is uncertain. It is based on only 37 listings with a median size of 17 m², and 80 percent of the rooms cost between DKK 6,300 and DKK 11,633. Some of the listed rooms may be furnished or include utilities in the price, so always compare what is included.
  • Frederiksberg has many small apartments. The median rent for a 1-room apartment in Frederiksberg is DKK 8,950 (48 listings).
  • Sharing pays off. A 2-room apartment shared by two works out at DKK 7,400 per person. A 4-room apartment shared by three works out at about DKK 6,770 per person. Both are cheaper than a 1-room apartment on your own.

You can see more figures for the different districts in our guide to how much it costs to rent in Copenhagen and in Bolighub’s overview of the rental market. If you’re not sure where in the city to look, read about Copenhagen neighbourhoods.

A realistic student budget

For most students, SU sets the limits. According to su.dk, the rates in 2026 are:

  • SU for students in higher education who don’t live with their parents: DKK 7,426 a month before tax.
  • SU loan (SU-lån): up to DKK 3,799 a month. The loan has to be paid back.

So if you take the full SU loan, you have at most DKK 11,225 a month before tax, if you don’t have a student job. This is what is left once the rent is paid:

Housing (median)Rent per personLeft from SU and full SU loan, before tax
1-room apartment on your ownDKK 9,525DKK 1,700
2-room apartment shared by twoDKK 7,400DKK 3,825
4-room apartment shared by threeDKK 6,770DKK 4,455

What is left has to cover tax, food, utilities, internet, transport, insurance and books. How much tax you pay depends on your personal allowance (personfradrag) and your other income, so check your preliminary income assessment (forskudsopgørelse) on skat.dk.

What does this mean in practice? A 1-room apartment at the median price usually requires a student job, help from home, or both. For most people, a room in a hall of residence or a shared flat is the realistic start. If you start a new higher education programme after 1 July 2025, be aware that, according to su.dk (in Danish), the SU reform reduces the total number of SU klip (monthly grant instalments) from January 2027. This doesn’t change the monthly rate, but it can affect your finances later in your studies.

Remember the cost of moving in. In a private home, you may have to pay a deposit and prepaid rent on top of the first month’s rent. If you rent a room for DKK 6,000 and pay 3 months’ deposit, that is DKK 18,000 on top of the first month’s rent, before you have bought so much as a bed. Read more in our guide to what it costs to move out from home.

Timeline: From admission to keys

It is hard to plan when you only find out where you will study late in the summer. That’s why it helps to start on several tracks at once.

The spring before you start

  • Find out which halls of residence are close to where you expect to study, and how they admit residents.
  • Make your budget, and talk to your family about what help you can get with moving in.
  • Start saving up for the deposit and basic household items.

3 months before you start

When you hear about your admission

  • Upload documentation of your admission to the waiting lists.
  • Look widely for rooms and shared flats, including in districts a little further from the centre if there are good connections to your place of study.
  • Reply quickly to housing offers. An offer you don’t reply to often counts as a refusal.

The last weeks before the start of term

  • If you haven’t found anything permanent, consider a temporary solution such as a sublet or a room with short notice. Stay on the waiting lists in the meantime.
  • View the home, or have someone you trust view it, before you pay anything.

When you move in

  • Make a move-in report (indflytningsrapport) with photos.
  • Register your move no later than 5 days after moving in.
  • Apply for housing benefit no later than 30 days after moving in, if you may be entitled to it. Then, according to Borger.dk, it can be paid from the day you moved in.
  • Take out contents insurance with liability cover (indboforsikring med ansvarsdækning), or check whether you are still covered by your parents’ insurance.

Avoid housing scams

Students in a hurry are a favourite target for scammers. Typical warning signs are a rent far below the market price, a landlord who “is abroad” and can’t show you the home, and demands for a deposit before you have seen the home and received a contract. Never transfer money for a home you haven’t seen, and read our advice on searching for a rental safely.

Common mistakes new students make

  • Waiting to apply until you are admitted. The waiting time for many halls of residence is long, so every month counts.
  • Betting on one track. Apply for halls of residence, rooms and shared flats at the same time.
  • Counting on housing benefit for a room with a shared kitchen. Without your own kitchen, you generally won’t get housing benefit.
  • Forgetting to renew your application, and losing your place on the waiting list as a result.
  • Moving into a shared flat without a written agreement on rent, deposit and moving out.
  • Comparing rents without checking utilities. A room with everything included can be cheaper than one that looks cheaper.

Advice for tenants: how to choose wisely

  • Set a maximum rent before you start looking, and stick to it.
  • Look at the total price: rent, utilities, transport and the cost of moving in.
  • Ask what notice period applies, and whether the lease is time-limited.
  • Always get a written lease, and pay by bank transfer, not in cash.
  • Stay on the halls’ waiting lists, even after you have found a temporary solution.

Advice for landlords who want to rent to students

Students are a large and steady group of home seekers in Copenhagen. As a landlord, you can make it easy and safe for both sides:

  • State the price clearly in the listing. Give the rent, utilities, deposit and prepaid rent separately.
  • Respect the cap on prepaid rent. For a room with 1 month’s notice, the prepaid rent must not be more than the rent the tenant has to pay during the notice period.
  • Use a written contract. The ministry’s standard lease (Typeformular A) is a good starting point, also for rooms.
  • Are you a tenant yourself? Then the rules on subletting apply, and you must send a copy of the sublease to your landlord.
  • Check the tax. Rental income generally has to be reported to Skat, the Danish tax agency. See the rules for renting out a room on skat.dk.
  • Describe the kitchen. Whether the room has its own kitchen matters for the tenant’s chance of getting housing benefit.

If you want to advertise a room or an apartment to students, you can get started as a new landlord on Bolighub.

In short

A flat of your own is expensive compared with SU. On Bolighub, a 1-room apartment in Copenhagen typically costs DKK 9,525 a month, while SU for students who don’t live with their parents is DKK 7,426 before tax. Get on the halls’ waiting lists as early as the rules allow. At the same time, look for rooms and shared flats, and plan your budget without housing benefit unless the home has its own kitchen. Have money for the deposit, always get a written lease, and register your move no later than 5 days after moving in.

FAQ

When should you apply for a hall of residence in Copenhagen?

As early as the rules allow. According to KKIK, you can create an application up to 3 months before your expected start of studies. Some halls with their own admission have other deadlines. Apply for other types of housing at the same time, as the waiting time can be long.

How much does a room in Copenhagen cost for students?

On Bolighub, the median rent for a room in Copenhagen was DKK 10,151 a month on 14 October 2026. However, the figure is based on only 37 listings, and 80 percent of the rooms cost between DKK 6,300 and DKK 11,633. Rooms in halls of residence are often cheaper, but the price varies a lot from hall to hall.

Can you get housing benefit for a room in a hall of residence?

Only if the room has its own kitchen. According to Borger.dk, your own kitchen is a requirement for housing benefit. If you share a kitchen with others, you generally can’t get housing benefit.

Can you live on SU in Copenhagen?

It is hard with a flat of your own. SU for students who don’t live with their parents is DKK 7,426 before tax in 2026, and even with a full SU loan of DKK 3,799, it barely covers a 1-room apartment at the median price and your other expenses. With a room in a hall of residence or a shared flat, and possibly a student job, it is more realistic.

What happens to my youth housing when I finish studying?

In public youth housing, the housing organisation must check at least once a year that residents are actively studying. When you finish your programme, you generally have to move out, but the termination can be postponed in some cases. Check the rules in your lease and with your housing organisation.

How quickly can a landlord terminate my lease on a room?

If the landlord lives in the home, both you and the landlord can generally terminate with 1 month’s notice. A longer notice period can be agreed, but not a shorter one. If the lease is time-limited, other rules may apply.

Sources and further reading

Apart from Bolighub’s figures, the sources are in Danish.