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← All answers · Updated 2026-05-26 · By Selvir Suke, CEO + Founder
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How do I rent an apartment as a student in Switzerland?

As a student you rarely land a private lease, because landlords want stable income at about three times the rent. Your best routes: the university housing office (ETH WoKo, UNIL Logement, UNIGE BLE), student residences (Juwo and similar), and WG rooms (shared flats) on WG-Zimmer.ch and WGzimmer.ch. A parental guarantor helps if you need your own studio. The fastest way to see what fits you is aptari: one open feed of listings from across the market, with a Match Score that shows which student-friendly and short-term places you can actually get, so you stop wasting time on flats out of reach.

University housing offices

  • ETH and UZH (Zurich): WoKo offers 2,000+ rooms, CHF 450-850, woko.ch, waitlist 2-6 months
  • EPFL and UNIL (Lausanne): FMEL + UNIL Logement, 3,000+ beds
  • UNIGE (Geneva): Cité Universitaire + BLE
  • UNIBE (Bern): bewo.ch
  • USI (Lugano): Campus West + East
  • HSG (St. Gallen), UNILU (Lucerne), UNINE (Neuchâtel): each have housing services

Apply 4-6 months before semester start.

Private student residences

  • Juwo Schweiz (ZH, BE, LS)
  • Schaffhausen FB-Stiftung: low-income youth
  • Cohousing startups: Quartetto, BOA Apartments

WG (shared apartments)

The most common option for students. WG-Zimmer.ch and WGzimmer.ch dominate. See how to find WG Zurich.

Private lease with parental guarantor

If you need a studio: - Application includes a Solidarbürgschaft signed by a parent - Guarantor provides salary proof, tax return, Betreibungsauszug

Income check workaround

  • Stipend + parental allowance combined
  • Bank statement with 12 months of rent in liquid reserves
  • Permit B Studium: prove CHF 21,000 annual living budget

The easiest way: aptari

Set up your Tenant Passport once and mark it as a student. aptari shows you one open feed of listings from across the market · aptari, Homegate, ImmoScout24 and Flatfox · and surfaces WG rooms, furnished short stays and student-friendly micro-flats first. The Match Score tells you which ones you actually fit before you apply, and on aptari-partner listings you apply with one click instead of re-sending the same dossier everywhere.

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