If you need to or choose to move house to study, this article presents the possibilities to help you make the right choice concerning your accommodation in Fribourg.

When you enrol at the University of Fribourg, you should think about where you would like to live.

If you already live close to Fribourg, you will probably be able to keep the same accommodation but you may have to move to Fribourg if you live further away.

In Fribourg, there is a variety of accommodation to suit different budgets, locations, and lifestyles.

You have the freedom to choose the type of accommodation that suits you best, from the most solitary to the most convivial.

Study time is a great time to make friends, as long as you find the right people. Some places to stay are true havens of peace, while others become the best places to party. Some homes are very self-contained, while others are supervised. It’s up to you to decide which aspects are important to you.

Each type of housing offers very different lifestyles in terms of the facilities that need to be shared, the size of the rooms, the common living spaces, the activities and tasks to be coordinated with the roommates, the levels of cleanliness, socialization, noise, as well as the proximity to the University, public transportation and shopping.

In Fribourg, the Apartis foundation helps to find affordable accommodation for students’ budgets and offers various services such as budget examples or even nutritional advice.

At the University, the hours of face-to-face classes are no longer as intense as in college or gymnasium. A lot of time is left free for students to do their own work.

Some people prefer to stay home and study outside of class. Others choose to work in the library. You can find a list of the quietest reading rooms in the chapter on libraries and quiet study places.

You may decide to live in a student residence, in a shared student apartment, or alone in a small apartment.

Student hostels often offer a slightly structured environment. Some hostels may require students to meet at set times to eat, for example. Some hostels have a religious affiliation. If you are interested in this way of life, you can contact the hostels concerned directly to find out what their rules are: FoyerApartis – Beauséjour – Bel-praz (men) – Tilleul (women) – Cité St-Justin – Salesianum- Foyer Bel-Abri (women)

Living in a shared flat is often part of the university experience. To find the best flat share, the student housing foundation Apartis is certainly the first foundation to contact. The staff at Apartis will explain the available offers to you according to your requirements. The flatshares are offered at attractive student prices. You will also find many offers on social networks by searching groups with the keywords
“Students – Fribourg – University”.

Finally, you can also choose to live alone. This last choice offers the advantage of leaving you a lot of freedom but can also involve certain difficulties linked to solitude and perhaps feeling lonely. You can also find studios to take over on social networks or on the usual housing search sites (homegate, immostreet, anibis).

• Contact Apartis to see if the student accommodation options are right for you (accommodation is allocated on a first-come, first-served basis, so it’s best to apply early).
• If you prefer to be independent, organize your own rental by looking for an apartment that suits you

To live well with a roommate, you must:

• Know what is important to you
• Choose the right place to live and your roommates
• Agree on the rules of politeness, cleanliness, sharing of common spaces
• Clarify the sharing and planning of household tasks and the payment of joint bills
• Agree on the use of closet space and the fridge (e.g., one shelf each and a shared section of the fridge)
• Clarify common moments (e.g., meals together or separate, common evenings or each evening alone, etc.)

• What are the essential aspects for you to be comfortable in your home?
• Would you prefer to live alone or with a roommate?
• Would you want a home that offers moments of social sharing?
• How many people would you be comfortable sharing your apartment with?
• Would you need a room with a private bathroom?
• What is your housing budget?
• Is geographical proximity (to shops, public transport, sports facilities, library, university) important to you?
• Would you want to live in a busy downtown area, or do you prefer a quieter place outside the city?
• To get to the University, will you walk, cycle or use public transport?
• Is this transportation available near where you will be living?

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Edited by: Nathalie Quartenoud ©

Translated by: Daniel Dukes