Student housing in Odense: A guide for new students
If you are starting at SDU, UCL or one of the other higher education institutions in Odense, housing is often the biggest concern in the summer before you start. Odense is one of the cheapest large student cities in Denmark. A one-room flat typically costs DKK 5,495 a month, according to the flats listed on Bolighub on 16 October 2026. A room in a kollegium (student hall of residence) can be even cheaper. For comparison, SU (the Danish state education grant) for students in higher education who live away from their parents is DKK 7,426 a month before tax in 2026.
Since May 2026, applying for student housing in Odense has also become simpler, because all the city’s non-profit (almene) student homes are now applied for in one place. This guide gives you the overview: where to sign up, how the municipality’s tag over hovedet-garanti (a “roof over your head” guarantee) works, what you can expect to pay, and what you need to do before starting your studies in 2027.
New in 2026: All non-profit student housing is on BoligØen
Previously, many students applied for kollegier and ungdomsboliger (youth housing) in Odense through studiebolig-odense.dk. Since 5 May 2026, all of Odense’s non-profit student housing has been on the housing portal BoligØen, including the homes that used to be on studiebolig-odense.dk. According to Odense Boligselskab, there are now more than 4,000 student homes on BoligØen, spread across Odense and other towns on Funen.
What this means for you:
- One place to sign up. Odense Kommune (Odense Municipality) points to BoligØen as the main way into student housing with the city’s largest housing organisations.
- Old links may be out of date. Some older pages from the educational institutions still point to studiebolig-odense.dk. Use BoligØen.
- Were you signed up before May 2026? Log in to BoligØen and check that your anciennitet (seniority, meaning the time you have been on the waiting list) and your housing preferences have been transferred. Contact the housing organisation if anything is missing.
The rules for applying for student housing on BoligØen
According to BoligØen, the rules include:
- It is free to sign up if you are only applying for student housing.
- You can sign up 1 year before your studies start and move in up to 3 months before. You don’t need to have been admitted yet to sign up.
- To live in the home, you must be enrolled on an SU-eligible programme or be a young person with special needs.
- Your registration only covers student housing. Seniority for student housing cannot be transferred to family housing.
- As a rule, you can stay for up to 3 months after finishing your programme.
- Keep your profile active. If you are not actively searching, your application may be deleted. Read the current renewal rules on BoligØen when you create your profile.
A few kollegier may run their own admissions. So also check the kollegier close to where you will be studying.
The tag over hovedet-garanti: Odense’s emergency solution for new students
Odense Kommune has what it calls a tag over hovedet-garanti (“roof over your head” guarantee). It is not a guarantee of a room in a kollegium. It is a temporary emergency solution if you have not found somewhere to live when your studies start.
Who is covered?
According to Odense Kommune (in Danish), you must:
- be admitted to a programme in Odense
- live outside Odense Kommune
- be between 18 and 30 years old
- be actively looking for housing.
The guarantee covers full-time students from EU/EEA countries, but not exchange students or students from other countries. If you already have a lease with a move-in date less than a month after your studies start, you are not covered.
How to use the guarantee
- Register as an active housing seeker on BoligØen and choose student housing in your application.
- Apply for student homes with rent of up to DKK 3,200 plus utilities, and activate the guarantee in your profile. BoligØen explains how to do this.
- Accept the offers you receive through BoligØen. If you turn down an offer, you lose the right to use the guarantee.
What do you get?
According to Odense Kommune, the accommodation is typically a hostel or a municipal building. You may have to share a dormitory with 2 to 10 people of the same sex, and the accommodation can be anywhere in the municipality. It is basic and not renovated.
- Price: DKK 3,200 a month. You must pay for at least one month, even if you move out earlier.
- Duration: Up to 3 months from the day you move in.
- Contract: You sign a husvildekontrakt (a contract for emergency housing for people without a home) and must move out when you are offered permanent housing. You may have to move between different addresses along the way.
- Included in the price: Shared kitchen, toilet, shower and internet. You may not be able to lock your belongings away.
Bottom line: The guarantee is a safety net, not a plan. You should still sign up early and search the private market at the same time.
Kollegier and student housing in Odense: Where are they?
Odense Kommune lists 21 kollegier across the city’s districts. Here are the ones the municipality mentions:
| Area | Kollegier (examples from Odense Kommune) |
|---|---|
| Odense M (near SDU) | 4. Maj Kollegiet, H.C. Ørsted Kollegiet, Thomas B. Thriges Kollegium |
| Odense C (city centre) | Bikuben, Bredstedgadekollegiet, Hans Tausenkollegiet, J.B. Winsløw Kollegiet, Langelinie Kollegiet, Lindekollegiet, Munke Mose Park, Pjentedamskollegiet, Skt. Jørgenskollegiet, Slotsgadekollegiet, Åløkkekollegiet |
| Odense S | Carl Nielsen Kollegiet, Christmas Møllers Kollegie, Harekæret, Kaj Munk Kollegiet |
| Odense SØ | Blangstedgårdkollegiet, Tornbjergkollegiet |
| Odense V | Rasmus Rask Kollegiet, which according to the municipality is the largest |
According to SDU, Campus Kollegiet, with 250 student homes, is right next to campus, and a room there costs under DKK 3,500 a month. You can get from the railway station to campus by light rail (letbane), bus or bike.
How to choose an area:
- If you study at SDU’s campus in Odense M, you save time by living in Odense M or Odense SØ.
- If you study in the city centre or want to be close to city life and the railway station, Odense C is the obvious choice, but this is also where competition is fiercest.
- Look at the light rail route. A kollegium further out can be just as practical if you have a direct connection to your place of study.
How much does housing in Odense cost as a student?
The figures below are median rents for flats listed on Bolighub in Odense on 16 October 2026. The median is the middle price: half of the homes are more expensive and half are cheaper. Heating, water and electricity often come on top.
| Flat | Median rent per month | Number of listings |
|---|---|---|
| One-room | DKK 5,495 | 39 |
| Two-room | DKK 7,500 | 119 |
| Three-room | DKK 8,995 | 166 |
| Four-room | DKK 11,795 | 47 |
| All flats | DKK 8,750 | 381 |
80 percent of the flats were between DKK 5,700 and DKK 12,103 a month, and the median size was 72 m².
Price by area
| Area | Median rent, flats | Number of listings |
|---|---|---|
| Odense C | DKK 8,750 | 241 |
| Odense V | DKK 8,495 | 83 |
| Odense M | DKK 7,600 | 20 |
| Odense SV | DKK 11,425 | 14 |
- Odense M, where SDU is located, had a lower median than the city centre, but the figure is based on few listings. Most homes here were two-room flats, and they typically cost DKK 7,200 (11 listings).
- Odense C has by far the largest supply, so this is where you have the most homes to choose from.
- Odense SV was more expensive, but the figure is based on few listings and may fluctuate.
Rooms: Only 2 rooms were listed on Bolighub in Odense on the day of the count. That is too few to say anything about the typical price. Always check whether utilities, internet and furniture are included before you compare a room with a room in a kollegium.
For more figures on districts and housing types, read our guide to how much it costs to rent in Odense.
Budget: Can you get by on SU in Odense?
According to su.dk, the rates in 2026 are:
- SU for students in higher education living away from home: DKK 7,426 a month before tax (su.dk, in Danish).
- SU loan (SU-lån): up to DKK 3,799 a month (su.dk, in Danish). The loan must be repaid.
Here is how the numbers look with Bolighub’s median rents:
| Housing option | Rent per person | Left from SU alone | Left from SU and full SU loan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Room at Campus Kollegiet (SDU) | under DKK 3,500 | over DKK 3,926 | over DKK 7,725 |
| Four-room flat shared by three | DKK 3,932 | DKK 3,494 | DKK 7,293 |
| Three-room flat shared by two | DKK 4,498 | DKK 2,928 | DKK 6,727 |
| One-room flat on your own | DKK 5,495 | DKK 1,931 | DKK 5,730 |
All amounts are before tax. What is left has to cover tax, food, utilities, internet, transport, insurance and textbooks. How much tax you pay depends on your personfradrag (personal tax allowance) and your other income. Check your forskudsopgørelse (preliminary tax assessment) on skat.dk, the Danish tax authority’s website.
What does this mean in practice?
- In Odense, you can generally afford to live alone on SU, but there is not much leeway if you choose a one-room flat at the median price and have to pay utilities on top.
- A room in a kollegium or a shared flat leaves more room for food, transport and savings.
- Boligstøtte (housing benefit) requires your own kitchen. According to Borger.dk (in Danish), the rental home must have its own kitchen, and it must be your permanent residence. So if you share a kitchen in a kollegium or rent a room in someone else’s home, you normally cannot get boligstøtte. If you are entitled to it, apply no later than 30 days after moving in, so it can be paid from your move-in date.
The money you need when moving in
Moving in is often the most expensive part. Under section 59 of lejeloven (the Danish Rent Act, in Danish), a private landlord can require a depositum (deposit) of no more than 3 months’ rent. The landlord can also require up to 3 months of forudbetalt leje (prepaid rent), but no more than the rent you would pay from giving notice until the tenancy ends.
Example 1: One-room flat. Mathias rents a one-room flat in Odense C for DKK 5,495 with 3 months’ notice. The landlord can require up to DKK 16,485 as a deposit and DKK 16,485 in prepaid rent. With the first month’s rent, that can add up to DKK 38,465 when moving in, if the landlord demands the maximum.
Example 2: A room with a landlord who lives there. Ida rents a room for DKK 3,500 in a flat where the landlord lives. Here the landlord has 1 month’s notice. That means the prepaid rent can be no more than DKK 3,500. With DKK 10,500 as a deposit and the first month’s rent, the total is no more than DKK 17,500.
If you move into a non-profit (almen) home, you pay an indskud (move-in deposit) or depositum to the housing organisation. According to Borger.dk on loans for beboerindskud (in Danish), you can apply to the municipality for a loan for the indskud in a non-profit home if your income is below the limit. However, you cannot get the loan if you move into a non-profit ungdomsbolig without its own separate kitchen.
Rooms and shared flats on the private market
If you have not got student housing as the start of your studies approaches, the private market is often the fastest route. The rules are different from those in a kollegium, though.
A room with a landlord who lives in the home
If you rent a room in a flat where the landlord lives, or in a one- or two-family house the landlord lives in, the landlord can terminate your tenancy with 1 month’s notice. This follows from section 170, no. 1, and section 175(1) of lejeloven. It is flexible, but also less secure. In the worst case, you have to find somewhere new in the middle of a semester. So stay on the waiting list on BoligØen.
A room rented from a tenant
If the person you rent from is a tenant themselves, it is a sublet (fremleje). Ask to see that the sublet has been approved or is lawful.
Sharing a flat with other students
In Odense, a three-room or four-room flat shared with others is often cheaper per person than a one-room flat on your own. Agree on the following in writing before you sign:
- Who is on the lease, and who pays the rent to the landlord?
- How do you split the deposit, utilities and internet?
- Who has to approve a new flatmate if one of you moves out?
- When and how does the person moving out get their share of the deposit back?
Timeline: From now until you start your studies in 2027
If you start your studies in August or September 2027, you can use this plan.
Now, autumn 2026
- Sign up for student housing on BoligØen. You can sign up 1 year before your studies start, and it is free. Keep your profile active.
- Find out where your place of study is, and which kollegier and districts have good connections to it.
- Make a budget, and talk to your family about help with the indskud or deposit.
Winter and spring 2027
- Apply specifically to the housing blocks you actually want to live in. Also consider kollegier a little further from the centre if the transport works.
- Start saving for moving in.
From May 2027
- You can move into student housing up to 3 months before your studies start, so offers may start coming in. Reply before the deadline.
When you hear about your admission
- Create a search agent, and keep an eye on student housing and rooms on the private market as plan B.
- If you live outside Odense Kommune and are between 18 and 30, check whether you can use the tag over hovedet-garanti, and activate it on BoligØen.
The last weeks before your studies start
- If you have nothing permanent, consider taking a temporary solution such as a room or the guarantee accommodation, and stay on the waiting list.
- View the home, or get someone you trust to view it, before you pay anything.
When you move in
- Inspect the home and take photos of any defects and damage.
- Register your move no later than 5 days after moving in, according to Borger.dk (in Danish). If your name is not on the door, write the owner’s or tenant’s name in the “Hos (c/o)” field.
- Apply for boligstøtte no later than 30 days after moving in if you may be eligible.
- Take out indboforsikring (contents insurance), or check whether you are still covered by your parents’ policy.
Avoid student housing scams
August is peak season for scammers who target busy students. The warning signs are rent far below the market price, a landlord who cannot show you the home, and demands to transfer a deposit before you have seen the home and received a contract. Read our advice on searching for a rental safely before you pay anything.
Common mistakes among new students in Odense
- Using studiebolig-odense.dk. The site has been replaced by BoligØen.
- Waiting for your admission before signing up. You can sign up a year before your studies start without having been admitted.
- Thinking the guarantee gives you a room in a kollegium. It gives you a temporary place in a dormitory for up to 3 months.
- Turning down an offer while using the guarantee. You then lose the right to it.
- Counting on boligstøtte without your own kitchen. Plan your budget without benefit until you have checked the home.
- Forgetting the move-in costs. A one-room flat can cost up to DKK 38,465 to move into if the landlord demands the maximum.
Advice for tenants: Checklist before you say yes
- Do you know the total monthly cost, including rent, utilities and internet?
- Do you know what you have to pay as indskud, deposit and prepaid rent, and do the amounts comply with the rules?
- What notice period do you and the landlord have, and is the lease time-limited?
- Does the home have its own kitchen, if you are counting on boligstøtte?
- Do you have a written contract, and are you paying by bank transfer and not in cash?
- Are you staying on the waiting list on BoligØen, even though you have found a temporary solution?
Advice for landlords who want to rent to students in Odense
Many students look for housing in Odense in the run-up to the start of studies in August and September. Here is how to make it safe for both parties:
- State the full price in the listing. List rent, utilities, deposit and prepaid rent separately, and say whether the room is furnished.
- Stay within the limits in section 59 of lejeloven. A maximum of 3 months’ deposit. If you rent out a room in your own home with 1 month’s notice, the prepaid rent must not be higher than the rent for that month.
- Use a written lease, and agree clearly on what is shared, such as the kitchen and bathroom.
- Describe the kitchen arrangements. Whether the tenant has their own kitchen affects their eligibility for boligstøtte.
- Are you renting the home yourself? Then it is a sublet (fremleje), and you must follow the rules for that.
- Check the tax rules for rental income on skat.dk before you set the price.
- Advertise in good time. If you post your listing in June and July, you reach many people looking before the semester starts.
In short
Sign up for student housing on BoligØen now. It is free, and you can do it a year before your studies start. Since May 2026, all of Odense’s non-profit student housing has been listed there. The municipality’s tag over hovedet-garanti is only an emergency solution: a dormitory place for up to 3 months at DKK 3,200 a month, and only for new students between 18 and 30 who live outside the municipality. Search for rooms and shared flats on the private market at the same time. A one-room flat typically costs DKK 5,495 on Bolighub, so you can afford to live alone on SU. However, a room in a kollegium or a shared flat leaves more room in your budget. Save up for moving in, and don’t count on boligstøtte if you don’t have your own kitchen.
FAQ
Where do you apply for a kollegium in Odense?
Since 5 May 2026, all of Odense’s non-profit student housing has been on BoligØen, including the homes that used to be on studiebolig-odense.dk. A few kollegier may run their own admissions, so also check the ones close to where you will study.
When can you sign up for student housing in Odense?
According to BoligØen, you can sign up 1 year before your studies start and move in up to 3 months before. You don’t need to have been admitted to sign up, and it is free if you are only applying for student housing.
What is the tag over hovedet-garanti in Odense?
It is Odense Kommune’s emergency solution for new students without a home. You get a temporary place, typically in a hostel or a municipal building, for up to 3 months at DKK 3,200 a month. You must be between 18 and 30, live outside Odense Kommune and be admitted to a programme in Odense.
How much does a room in a kollegium near SDU cost?
According to SDU, a room at Campus Kollegiet next to campus costs under DKK 3,500 a month. Prices vary between kollegier, so check the rent for each housing block on BoligØen.
How much does a flat in Odense cost for students?
On Bolighub, the median rent on 16 October 2026 was DKK 5,495 a month for a one-room flat in Odense and DKK 7,500 for a two-room flat. Utilities often come on top.
Can you get boligstøtte for a room in a kollegium in Odense?
Only if the room has its own kitchen. According to Borger.dk, your own kitchen is a requirement for boligstøtte. If you share a kitchen with others, you generally cannot get the benefit.
Sources and further reading
- Odense Kommune: Tag over hovedet-garantien (in Danish), including the subpages on who can apply and on the accommodation
- Odense Kommune: Studiebolig i Odense (in Danish)
- su.dk: Rates for SU for students in higher education living away from home (in Danish)
- su.dk: Rates for SU loans (in Danish)
- Borger.dk: Søg boligstøtte (in Danish)
- Borger.dk: Lån til beboerindskud (in Danish)
- Borger.dk: Flytning i Danmark (in Danish)
- Retsinformation: Lejeloven (in Danish), section 59 on deposits and prepaid rent, and section 170, no. 1, and section 175(1) on terminating leases for single rooms
- BoligØen: information on student housing and the tag over hovedet-garanti
- Odense Boligselskab: announcement about BOSERA on BoligØen from 5 May 2026
- Syddansk Universitet (University of Southern Denmark): Studieby Odense
- Bolighub: Count of rental listings in Odense as of 16 October 2026