u/Derausmwaldkam

Hi there!

As we get more and more threads from new (international) students, I think it's time for a megathread. If you want to add something that I missed, feel free to message me or write a comment. Text ist mostly copy/pasted from another city's sub and mixed with infos from the very good wiki of the friendly people over at /germany.

Welcome (or welcome back) to Göttingen! If you're starting your studies here this semester, there's a good chance you're already deep in the housing search — and if you've been scrolling WG-Gesucht for a week and getting zero replies, you are not doing anything wrong. This is normal here. This post exists to explain why it's so hard, what your realistic options are, and how to avoid getting scammed while you're stressed and desperate for a room. We're stickying this so new students have one place to start instead of fifty confused comment threads every September/October and March/April.

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The blunt truth: housing here is genuinely rough right now

Göttingen is a small city (~120.000 to 130.000 residents) where roughly one in five people is a student. Twice a year — right before the winter semester (October) and summer semester (April) — thousands of new and returning students hit the market at the same time, and the number of available rooms simply doesn't come close to matching demand. You will see literal queues of people outside WG viewings, apartments getting "taken" within hours of being posted, and landlords who can afford to be extremely picky because they have 40 applicants for one room.

On top of the scarcity, prices have been climbing. Average cold rent (Kaltmiete, i.e. rent before utilities) in Göttingen is currently sitting somewhere around €10–13 per m² depending on the source and neighborhood, and it's risen several percent over the last year alone. The Innenstadt and areas close to the university tend to sit at the top of that range, while outer districts are somewhat cheaper but come with a longer commute. On top of cold rent you'll pay "Nebenkosten" (utilities/heating) and usually a deposit (Kaution) of up to three months' cold rent, which is legally the maximum a landlord is allowed to ask for.

None of this is a reflection of you doing something wrong. It's genuinely a landlord's market here, especially in the weeks around semester start.

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Studierendenwerk dorms: apply now, and understand the waitlist

The Studierendenwerk Göttingen runs about 35 dormitories with roughly 4,700 rooms/apartments in total — everything from cheap single rooms in shared halls to studio apartments and family units. Sounds like a lot, but it only covers around 15% of the student population, so demand massively outstrips supply, especially right before semester starts.

Key things to know:

• You can join the waitlist before you're even enrolled. You don't need an admission letter (Zulassungsbescheid) or enrollment confirmation to apply — you just need to consider Göttingen as your study location. Do this as early as humanly possible, ideally the moment you know you're coming here, because places are handed out roughly in order of waiting time.
• Applying is free and non-binding — you can withdraw, pause, or switch your preferences on the waitlist at any time.
• Apply through the online application on the Studierendenwerk's website, confirm the confirmation link they email you (this step is easy to miss and your application won't count without it), and only submit one application — duplicates get deleted.
• Exchange/international students should go through the International Office's Accommodation Service instead of the general online form.
• Realistically: if you're only starting to apply a few weeks before the semester, you should assume you probably won't get a dorm room for move-in day, and plan a bridging solution (see below) while you stay on the list — spots do free up throughout the semester as people move out.

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The private market: what to actually use

Since dorms can't house most students, the vast majority end up on the private market. Here's where people in Göttingen actually look (also compiled by the university itself as recommended resources):

• WG-Gesucht.de — the biggest platform for shared flats (WGs) and small apartments in Germany, and the first stop for most people here. Set up a saved search with email alerts and respond fast — good listings disappear within hours.
• Zwischenmiete.de — for temporary/sublet housing, useful for bridging a gap while you wait for something permanent.
• Facebook group "Wohnungsmarkt Göttingen" — locals and students post rooms/apartments directly here, sometimes before they even hit the big portals.
• Göttinger Tageblatt classifieds (the local newspaper's real estate section) — less popular with students but still has listings, especially from older/private landlords who don't bother with WG-Gesucht.
• eBay Kleinanzeigen — worth checking, though you'll need to filter out a lot of noise.
• Physical noticeboards ("Schwarzes Brett") in the Mensa and around university buildings — old-school but still occasionally has gems, especially for subletting.
• Ask in subject-specific student group chats/Discords — a lot of room handovers happen through word of mouth before a listing ever goes public, especially "I'm moving out, my WG needs someone" situations.
• If you're arriving with genuinely nothing lined up: a hostel or short-term Airbnb for the first 1–3 weeks is a completely normal way to buy yourself time to view places in person rather than signing something sight-unseen out of desperation.

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Please read this part — scams target new students specifically

Every semester, new students (especially international students unfamiliar with the German rental process) lose money to fake listings. The pattern is depressingly consistent, so here's what to watch for:

• The "landlord conveniently can't meet you" scam. Someone claims to own a great apartment at a suspiciously good price, but they're "currently abroad" or "unable to view in person." They offer to mail you the keys or have a third party hand them over — after you send a deposit or first month's rent to "secure" it. The apartment usually doesn't exist, or it's someone else's real apartment being listed without their knowledge. The money is gone and there's no real recourse.
• Never pay anything — deposit, rent, "reservation fee," whatever — before you've physically viewed the apartment and signed a real contract. This is the single most important rule. Legitimate landlords and agencies want to meet you or have someone show you the place in person; refusing an in-person viewing is a major red flag on its own.
• Be suspicious of listings where the price is noticeably below what similar places go for — scammers use attractive prices specifically to create urgency and get you to skip due diligence.
• Be cautious if you're asked to send scanned ID, Schufa (credit) info, or other personal documents to an unverified stranger before you've even met or verified the listing is real.
• Reverse-image-search listing photos if something feels off — copied photos from real listings elsewhere are a common tell.
• Only ever transfer money through traceable, standard bank transfers once you have a signed contract — never wire transfers to foreign accounts, cash-only demands, or anything that feels rushed or pressured.
• Remember: German law caps the deposit at 3 months' cold rent, and it's paid after signing, not before you've seen the place.

If something feels rushed, overly convenient, or makes you uncomfortable — trust that instinct and walk away. There will be other listings.

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TL;DR for the stressed new student

1. Apply to the Studierendenwerk waitlist immediately, even before you're enrolled — it's free and non-binding.
2. Expect the private market to be competitive and fast-moving; set up alerts on WG-Gesucht and respond quickly.
3. Check the Facebook group, Zwischenmiete, noticeboards, and word of mouth too — don't rely on one platform.
4. If you land without housing sorted, a short-term hostel/Airbnb buys you time to view places properly.
5. Never pay before viewing and signing. No exceptions, no matter how convincing the story.

Feel free to use the comments below to ask questions, share leads on open rooms, or vent — we've all been through this. Good luck, and welcome to Göttingen.

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//edit: Thanks for the comments so far — a few points came up that are worth adding here for anyone reading this later:

Your WG application message matters more than you think. A lot of people (especially international applicants) send something like "Hi, I'm X, I study Y, is the room still free?" — and most ad owners just don't bother replying to that. Remember you're not just renting a room, you're asking a group of strangers to let you into their daily life. Write an actual introduction: who you are, your daily rhythm (early riser vs. night owl, quiet vs. social), whether you cook, how you feel about chores/cleaning, what brought you to Göttingen, maybe a photo. Treat it like a short, personal message, not a form submission — it makes a real difference in response rates.

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A few addresses that are worth extra caution:

• Iduna-Zentrum, Maschmühlenweg 4–6
• Groner Landstraße 9

The Iduna-Zentrum (Maschmühlenweg/Weender Landstraße) is a large three-tower high-rise from the early 1970s, originally built as a prestige development with its own pool, sauna, and shopping center — all long since closed. It houses several hundred residents in dense, aging housing stock, and has repeatedly been described by local prosecutors as a recurring hotspot for drug-related and occasional violent crime. It made national headlines in 2020 as the center of a major COVID-19 outbreak, and has also appeared in a national TV crime show as a stand-in for the city's rougher side.

Groner Landstraße 9 has repeatedly come up in local political and press coverage alongside the Iduna-Zentrum as one of the city's two main "problem" residential complexes, cited for similar issues with building conditions and safety.

At first glance, both addresses seem appealing because of their proximity to the university, but as written, they should be viewed with caution. There are various listings that often offer extra perks (like €100 cash in hand upon move-in) — and there’s a reason for that: people who live there tend to try to move out quickly at any cost.

To be clear, this isn't a judgment on the people living there — many are in genuinely difficult circumstances themselves. But as a new student without local knowledge, these are places to be extra cautious about: do your research, and view any listing in person (ideally in daylight) before committing to anything.

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Consider looking outside Göttingen itself. Plenty of people commute in from towns within a roughly 25 km radius — Bovenden, Nörten-Hardenberg, Adelebsen, Friedland, Rosdorf, and Hann. Münden all have direct train or bus connections into the city. Rents tend to be noticeably lower outside the city center, and your Deutschlandticket covers regional trains and buses, so it can be a good trade-off if you don't mind a somewhat longer commute. Just double-check which of these are actually well-connected from your specific area/schedule before committing — service frequency varies quite a bit between towns. Also the Deutsche Bahn isn't as reliable as it once was, but that's a story for another day :)