Housing is unfortunately a real problem in Münster. For some time now, it has been a challenge to find a shared apartment or apartment in our city. Therefore, the sooner you start looking for something suitable, the better your chances are of not having to spend the first few weeks on various couches.
Dormitories
Rooms in student dormitories are usually the cheapest alternative. However, in the recent past, student dorms are increasingly upgrading to smaller apartments with several rooms. Nevertheless, rooms in dormitories, especially those centrally located in the city, are extremely popular and therefore often involve certain waiting times.
WGs
Somewhat more sociable than the sometimes isolating rooms in a dormitory are, of course, shared apartments. These come in all types and sizes: with two or eight people, as a purely functional community or as a caring surrogate family. In already existing shared apartments, you often have to conduct "job interviews" so that your future roommates can get a picture of you - after all, you should all fit together. Such "WG castings" often don't seem very pleasant, but actually getting to know each other is for your own good, because you have to be able to spend a lot of time with the people. In addition, nice conversations arise here and there even without an acceptance.
Alternatively, you can of course start a WG yourself. Either you move in with friends or you organize "castings" yourself. If you want to live together with others, you should be tolerant, because everyone has quirks that have to be endured. But if you work together in spite of them, the WG life can be unbeatable. In single apartments you live the most expensive. But here, no one occupies your bathroom or messes with your refrigerator. Instead, you clean everything yourself and eat alone - or in the cafeteria.
You can find suitable apartments and shared apartments on the website "WG gesucht" (https://www.wg-gesucht.de/), via eBay classifieds, in the Münster magazine "Na dann" (https://www.nadann.de/rubriken/kleinanzeigen/suche-wohnen/) or via the AStA housing exchange (https://www.asta.ms/wohnboerse).
Intergenerational housing
The project "Living for Help" can already look back on many successful years in Münster and offers you an interesting possibility to live: Here you help older people in the household or in the garden and can live in return for a small rent or even rent-free. The number of "helping hours" to be worked per month roughly corresponds to the number of square meters occupied. The coordination of the project helps to bring students and older citizens together and accompanies the new living partners with support.
Watch out for Burschis Burschis!
Time and again, one stumbles across tempting offers on the Internet: A large, bright room in close proximity to the Aasee, for only 200€. Sounds too good to be true? It is. Behind such offers are mostly fraternities that belong to the right-wing reactionary spectrum. They try to attract new members with cheap housing. Once you're in, it's hard to get out of these conspiratorial structures, because membership is for life.
“Deine Couch für Erstis” & emergency housing
Tried everything, but still nothing found? Don't panic! This is certainly not the best start to the semester, but no one has to sleep on the street. With the AStA campaign "Deine Couch für Erstis" (Your couch for first-year students) and the temporary quarters of the Studierendenwerk, you will at least find a place to sleep for the first few days. The Studierendenwerk offers quarters in their rooms at Wilhelmskamp: In a common room, you will be provided with a separate bed and a closet for 5 € per night. The Jugendgästehaus am Aasee and the Studierendenwerk hotels also offer special rates for students.
The idea of "Deine Couch für Erstis" is to provide freshmen with a place to sleep during the first days of their studies or even before, in order to make it easier for them to find a place to live and to give them a good start in Münster. You can find corresponding offers via the AStA housing exchange.
