Student Housing in Spain: Colegios Mayores, Residences and Shared Flats
Fee figures: catalogue of 6 October 2026.
Spanish students often study in their home city and live with their parents, so universities have fewer residence places than in northern Europe. Students from elsewhere choose between a residence and a room in a shared flat. Each has its own logic.
Colegios mayores and residences
- Colegios mayores are residential colleges attached to a university, with a long tradition, full board, and a programme of cultural and sports activities. Admission is by application, sometimes with an interview.
- University residences and private student residences offer rooms or studios with services, with or without meals.
Because they normally include meals, cleaning and utilities, the prices look high next to a rented room. For the 16 residences with a published price in our catalogue, the typical range is €545 to €624 a month. Places are requested in spring and early summer, directly from each college or residence, and the popular ones fill before the admission lists come out. Many refund the reservation if you are not admitted: ask.
Residences listed by university are on our Spain pages.
A room in a shared flat
This is what most students from outside the city do. Rooms are advertised on rental websites and university housing boards, and many universities run a housing office that checks offers. Prices vary widely: Madrid and Barcelona are the most expensive, followed by the Basque cities, Valencia and Málaga, while smaller university cities such as Granada, Salamanca or Santiago cost much less.
Things to know about contracts:
- Students usually sign a seasonal contract for the academic year, or rent a single room under a room contract. Both are governed mainly by what the contract itself says, so read it.
- The legal deposit (fianza) is one month's rent for a home. Landlords may ask for additional guarantees.
- Ask which utilities are included. Heating matters in the interior of the country, where winters are cold.
- Get a signed contract and pay by bank transfer, not in cash. You will need both documents.
Registering your address
Registration at the town hall (empadronamiento) proves where you live. You need it for the foreigner identity card, the health centre and many other procedures. Bring your passport and the rental contract. If your name is not on the contract, the main tenant or the owner signs an authorisation. Before renting a room, confirm that registration is possible there.
For non-EU students
The visa requires proof of means for each month of stay, and the amount is reduced if you prove that accommodation is paid in advance for the whole period; see student visa for Spain. A residence booking that includes full board therefore serves two purposes. Do not pay a full year in advance to a private landlord you have not met.
When to look
- Residences: from March to July.
- Shared flats: July and early September. August is slow because owners are on holiday. Arriving a week or two before classes and searching in person works well in most cities, less so in Madrid and Barcelona, where demand is high all year.
Where to look next
Official sources
- Consejo de Colegios Mayores Universitarios de España
- Ministry of Housing and Urban Agenda
- Housing offices of each university, linked from the university pages
Always check current information on the official website of the university before you apply.