Student housing for international students

To be eligible for housing guarantee:

• You must be a new international student admitted for at least one semester.
• You must be residing abroad at the time of admission*.
• You must submit the application for student accommodation within the deadline 10 May/1 November.
• You must be arriving at the beginning of the semester (rent must be paid from 1 August/1 January).
• You must be applying for the first time to Sammen Housing. It is not possible to terminate the housing contract and then have guaranteed housing again. 

* Students residing in Norway will not be granted housing guarantee. 

Please note: 

• Shared rooms will be allocated to short term students regardless of their application.
• Family and couple apartments are not included in the housing guarantee.
• Pets are not allowed at Sammen’s buildings (guide dogs are exempted).   

• Students entitled to housing guarantee will receive information about the application procedure by e-mail.
• Applications must be registered at the Sammen application portal, following given instructions. 
• A valid mobile phone number (including country code) must be registered when applying for housing.
• Students can select up to three preferred options. However, final allocation is given according to availability*
• *Housing guarantee guarantees a space in a student dorm. A specific room type or location is not guaranteed. Allocations are randomised. 

Application periods: 

• Autumn semester (starting August): 1 April - 10 May
• Spring semester (starting January): 1 October - 1 November

Sammen can offer a limited number of rooms and apartments specially adapted for students with special needs. Due to capacity limitations only students with physical impairments will qualify for special housing adaptation. The application  must be submitted through the Sammen application portal by 10 May/1 November. 

Requests for disability-related accommodations are considered on a case-by-case basis and availability.  Supporting documentation (medical certificate), must be submitted to Sammen soon after submitting the application. 

• The housing offer/contract will be sent by Sammen soon after the deadline expires (10 May/1 November).
• Make sure you whitelisted the e-mail notifications@egreement.com to receive the housing offer/contract.
• Students will lose the housing offer and guarantee if the contract is not accepted within the deadline stated in the contract.
• Information about allocation will be available through "My Pages" on Sammen’s online portal.
• Exchange students MUST accept the housing offer, even if their admission at UiB is still under consideration.   
• The monthly rent includes internet access, water and heating. Electricity must be paid for separately.

Allocation periods: 

• Autumn semester: 1 August - 31 December
• Spring semester: 1 January - 31 July 

The tenancy agreement is a legal binding document between the student and Sammen. We strongly advise all students to read the document carefully and get familiarized with the terms and conditions before signing the contract. Early termination of a rental contract can incur fees and additional costs.  

• The tenancy agreement must be signed within the deadline.
• The agreement can be accepted by using an SMS code or drawing an electronic signature (a valid phone number must be registered).
• Students should not sign the tenancy agreement if their application for admission is rejected by UiB or if they are planning to find alternative/private accommodation in Bergen. 

Please pay attention to the following: 

• Students are liable to pay rent for the entire duration of the tenancy period/semester (minimum 5 months) if the agreement is not cancelled within the deadline of 24 June/ 30 November.
• Any legal issues connected to the tenancy contract are considered a private issue.
• Sammen's cancellation policies and deadlines apply to students that withdraw from exchange, have not been granted admission or are planning to find alternative accommodation in Bergen.

The cancellation deadline for the spring semester is 30 November and 24 June for the autumn semester. No extension will be given beyond this date*.  

*Cancellations after the deadline will be subjected to Sammen’s cancellation policies and regulations. Students will be bound to pay rent for the whole allocation period. 

Conditions for cancelling the housing offer: 

• You can cancel your housing offer if you withdraw from your exchange period at UiB.
• You can cancel your housing offer if you have not been admitted as a student by UiB. 

Notify Sammen that you wish to cancel your housing offer by email: bolig@sammen.no and incoming@uib.no  

• UiB will have to confirm the withdrawal.
• Any other reason for cancellation will be treated as an ordinary termination period. 

Sammen is a separate organization, and therefore UiB cannot interfere with their cancellation policies and regulations. 

Please note that students that terminate their tenancy agreement due to finding alternative accommodation will not be offered guaranteed housing again.

The housing contract is allocated for the entire semester. Students may only terminate the agreement after 3 months and with 3 months’ notice starting from the first day in the following month. Information on when the contract was issued, or other terms and regulations are available on "My Page".  

More information is available at Moving out? — Bergen (sammen.no). 

Sammen is a separate organisation, and therefore UiB cannot interfere with their tenancy agreement policies and regulations.

This information is mainly for short-term students staying in Bergen for less than one semester, guest and trainee students without housing guarantee and for students intending to find alternative accommodation in Bergen. 

Montana Youth Hostel Bergen offers rooms for both short-term and long term accommodation. Inquiries must be addressed to bergen.montana@hihostels.no 

Haukelandsbakken Student Home 

Fantoft student hostel is the largest student housing complex in Bergen, and consists of several buildings. Many of them have been completely refurnished in recent years.

As of late 2024 the rent is between 3500 NOK  (shared room) to 8000 NOK per month. The rent includes internet access, water, heating. Electricity must be paid separately. At the housing market in Bergen, this represents a great value for money.

The Student welfare organization (SAMMEN) attempts to have a mix of international students and Norwegian students living together in the same corridor. This is great for language learning and cultural understanding.

The kitchens in the refurnished buildings are equipped with a large dining table and a lounge area, so you can socialize with your kitchen mates.

The Fantoft student hostel is one of the tallest buildings in Bergen, and many of the lounge areas have excellent panoramic views of the surrounding area.

Fantoft is situated in a well established residential area in Bergen, and close to the student hostel you will find the world famous Fantoft Stave Church, which is one of the most popular tourist spots in the city.   

The rooms are equipped with basic furniture, like a desk and bed. However, you will need to bring/purchase the following items:

• Basic cooking utensils, cutlery, plates and glasses.
• Your own bedding, sheet, duvet, pillow, towels and personal toiletries.  

Tenants leaving Fantoft will often donate their cooking utensils and cutlery to Klubb Fantoft. They normally arrange garage sales for new students, where second hand things can be purchased at affordable prices. The profit from the sale will be used to arrange social events for students staying at Fantoft.

Please note that – due to hygienic reasons – Klubb Fantoft will not sell second hand pillows, quilts or beddings.

The laundromat facilities at Fantoft are located in the basement. Laundry time is easily booked online, and there is a generous amount of washing machines and tumble dryers to your disposal, so washing your clothes should never be a problem.

The rates for one wash is 25 NOK.      

Information about laundry facilities is available here.             

Here are some excellent resources if you want more information about what it's like to live at Fantoft:

• Room tour of Fantoft TRE 
  Little Jenninja
• Fantoft garage sale
  Youtube video from Klubfantoft. Showing the garage sale in 2016.