Exchange Rooms for Universities

Exchange Rooms helps exchange students find housing during their exchange. Students can look for rooms sublet by fellow exchange students, and upload their own available room if applicable. The platform is secure, low-cost, made specifically for exchange students and features student verification. Founded by a former exchange student who now works as an Exchange Coordinator, it was born out of personal and professional experience.

A problem you all know

As university staff, you’re probably well-aware of the rising housing shortages around the world. Especially for exchange students -both incoming and outgoing- it’s difficult to find a place to stay.

They face three disadvantages: the fact that they’re international students, makes them face implicit discrimination; it’s easier and ‘safer’ to rent to local students. The fact that they’re looking for short-term housing makes their search even more difficult since landlords prefer to rent to long-term occupants. Lastly, having to search from a distance makes them much more vulnerable to scams.

The consequences are known: exchange students face a lot of stress preparing for their exchange, causing them to be even more vulnerable to exploitation. Some students even have to cancel their exchange. Others still go, but stay in a hostel hoping to find something in the first weeks, leading to social and academic stress. Something as basic as housing security can severely impact the exchange experience.

Difficulties in finding housing actively make exchanges less attractive for both incoming and outgoing students. Popular cities and universities are struggling to keep up with soaring demand and have to let down increasing numbers of students, both exchange and non-exchange. International Offices can often only advise as best as they can while watching their students struggle.

A platform specifically for exchange students

This platform was born out of this problem. Having studied abroad several times during his studies and now working as Exchange Coordinator in the Netherlands, the founder of Exchange Rooms was and still is being confronted with this reality: the housing market -tight as it is already- is not made for exchange students.

Exchange Rooms is made for exchange students. Specifically. Forget housing platforms barely containing any housing corresponding to the needs of exchange students, and where you’re only contacting a real estate agent who never responds -while you paid a 20 euro monthly subscription to this website among five others. Forget looking through Facebook, dodging scams and AI-generated pictures right and left, while being left on read by students who don’t accept internationals, let alone one they’ll have to replace after only four months.

Only a fellow exchange student can understand this difficulty. So why not help each other out? Exchange Rooms offers a platform where exchange students can advertise their room for sublet while they’re on exchange -if available. If not, no problem, just browse through the listed rooms.

In a perfect world, an exchange implies that for every student going one direction, there is one going the opposite. Therefore, exchange students could just sublet the room of their mirror exchange student. The perfect world doesn’t exist, but Exchange Rooms offers something that comes the closest. A platform where exchange students can cooperate to make going on exchange less about struggle, and more about the adventure -about being in this together.

Easy, secure and student-friendly

Students who want to make an account on Exchange Rooms must use their institutional e-mail address, and confirm that they’re the ones with access to it by clicking on a confirmation link sent to said address. If their e-mail address is not recognized as an institutional one, they can submit proof to be approved manually -by a human.

Only with a verified account students can access more information about other listings or post their room for sublet themselves, offering a much safer environment. Even then, user data is securely protected, messages are encrypted, and users can still report suspicious listings or messages.

Exchange Rooms is student-friendly. We ask for a €9,99 fee to unlock the chat functionality-once and for all. This low one-time fee sits in stark contrast to the exorbitant, recurring prices charged by corporations offering close to no relevant rooms for exchange students. The fee being one-time and cheap and giving access to relevant rooms only, makes Exchange Rooms as accessible as possible, while allowing the site to remain operated securely.

If you are approached by a particular student who is not able to afford our fee, please reach out to us. We can discuss solutions together, because something as basic as housing should be as accessible as possible.

It is worth noting that once students agree on subletting a room, they should share their contact details and discuss the sublet further according to local legislation. Exchange Rooms has no part in this and serves as a platform only.

A potential win-win for students … and for universities

Exchange Rooms is based on the cooperation between exchange students. They upload their rooms for sublet, engage in conversations, share the platform with fellow exchange students a grow a community. The larger that community becomes, the more relevant rooms get uploaded and the more students are able to find the room they need.

But exchange students aren’t the only ones benefiting from Exchange Rooms. We believe universities do so, too. Especially when it comes to attracting incoming students. If your university is known for being in an area with housing shortage, you may already have noticed reluctance from students to go on exchange at your institution. No matter the good reputation and support your offer to incoming students, a housing shortage is just one of the biggest hurdles for them. Encouraging your outgoing students to use Exchange Rooms and to list their available rooms for sublet can put you back on the map, literally.

You can also offer your outgoing students more guidance using Exchange Rooms. If your students are going to cities known for their housing shortage, Exchange Rooms is the way to go to make their search go smoother. Recommend the platform to your colleagues at their host university’s international office to attract students from those cities (and their rooms), to the platform.

Spread the word

Exchange Rooms is one of the most logical, accessible and tailored ways for exchange students to secure housing during their stay abroad. Using it as part of their strategy to find housing is a no brainer. Let them know Exchange Rooms is there, and that you recommend it as a way to find housing.

Still unsure? Please reach out if you have questions before spreading the word, we’re here to help!