Finance and housing
Finance and housing
It's very important that you find student accommodation on time. Besides that, make sure to check out the information about opening a Dutch bank account if you don't have one already.
Information about opening a bank account in the Netherlands
This text addresses a few financial aspects typical for the Netherlands, which could make your stay a lot easier.
Why a Dutch bank account?
A Dutch bank account helps you with your financial needs in The Netherlands during your stay. More specifically it enables you:
- To pay the annual tuition fee for your study in equal instalments (for instance, per month)
- Make low value payments in shops, at school (canteen), vendor machines etc.
- To do PIN transactions in the Netherlands, free of charge
- The bank card enables use of ATMs and payments all over the world
- Easy internet banking, which is included in your bank account application
How to open a Dutch bank account?
Visit the banks of your choice and provide the following documents:
- Your valid passport, of which a photocopy will be made
- A proof of enrolment or registration at Fontys
- Your residence permit for the Netherlands or the approval letter of the Dutch Immigration
- Service (IND) in case you do not have your residence permit card yet.
- Your citizen registration number (BSN). You have received this number at your registration at the City hall. Or you will receive it shortly after your registration. Some banks allow you to hand in the BSN later (max 6 weeks)
- Proof of your address (copy rental contract of your room)
- If you do not have a BSN number fill in Tax of Identification Number / Social Security Number home land.
Note:
In case you are a minor (<18) opening a bank account will not be easy. Bring the personal data of one of your parents, a home address and an email address. You are allowed to hand in your citizen registration number (BSN) at a later moment. If you have a birth certificate with you it will be of help.
Opening a bank account
Study in NLFurther instructions will be provided by the bank of your choice:
Rabobank
Office Tilburg
Spoorlaan 300,
5017 JZ Tilburg
ING Bank
Office Tilburg
Spoorlaan 420,
5038 CG Tilburg
ABN-Amro bank
Office Tilburg
Heuvelring 88,
5038 CL Tilburg
Please note!
Available student housing is limited, so read this information carefully and take action today to find your accommodation.
If you are unable to secure suitable accommodation by the beginning of the academic year, we strongly advise you not to come to the Netherlands.
Before starting your studies at Fontys, you must find suitable housing. Unfortunately, due to the housing crisis, it is difficult for international students to find accommodation in the Netherlands. Start your accommodation search early. Please be aware that finding a place to live is your own responsibility.
While Fontys has no campus dorms, we have established partnerships with several reputable housing agencies and landlords. Through these collaborations, Fontys is committed to assisting you in your accommodation search for the first semester or academic year. It's important to note that applying for accommodation through Fontys does not automatically guarantee housing, and we are unable to accept new applications after the deadline.
If you are currently residing abroad, applying for an English-taught study programme, and have a non-Dutch previous education, you are eligible to apply for accommodation through Fontys. We do make an exception for students from the Caribbean part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Despite many of them having a Dutch secondary school diploma, they are still able to apply for accommodation through Fontys.
Please note: To qualify for accommodation, it is important to complete your admission process as soon as possible. More information is listed in the terms and conditions.
Check out these tips
- Fontys can offer housing for a limited number of students. Fill in the application form before the 15th of June (Fall semester) the 8th of December (Spring semester).
- You can find a room through (commercial) housing agencies in the city you want to study in.
- If you know students that already study at Fontys, make sure to ask for their help.
- Expand your search. Don’t just look for a room in the city but also in villages nearby.
- Post a message on social media that you are looking for housing.
- Beware of scammers. Check our tips to prevent scams.
- Listen to the experiences of international students in the Nuffic podcast 'Finding student housing in the Netherlands'.
- Look at Study in NL, your official starting point to studying in the Netherlands
Although Fontys does not have its own campus dorms, it has established cooperations with a number of different accommodations agencies and landlords (further on this website referred to as housing agency). Through such cooperations, Fontys can provide students with guidance in finding accommodation for the first semester or academic year at Fontys.Unfortunately Fontys can only guarantee housing for a limited number of students. Therefore, we strongly recommend that you keep on trying to find a room yourself and start your search process well in time.
The deadline to hand in your accommodation form is the 15th of June if you start in September or the 8th of December if you start in February. If you are not admissible to the study of your choice, your request for accommodation will be cancelled without charge. Keep us informed if you have found your own accommodation. If you cancel your registration before the deadline, there will be no financial consequences.
Our department International students will do its utmost to find accommodation but . Only after the deadline has passed, Fontys will inform you whether a room will be offered to you.
Please note that it is not possible to view your future accommodation before signing your rental agreement. However, Fontys guarantees minimum quality standards for all accommodation.
- Read the General information on Accommodation and the Terms and conditions.
- Fill in and send the accommodation form before the deadline: Fall semester 15 June, Spring semester 8 December.
- You will receive a confirmation on receipt of the accommodation form
- Only after the deadline has passed, will Fontys inform you whether a room will be offered to you.
- You will receive detailed information about the housing agency 4 weeks before start of study at the latest.
- The Housing agency will contact you.
- Transfer the required amount of rent + deposit before arrival to housing agency (no payment = no entrance accommodation, but still the obligation to close rental contract)
- Accommodation is available on the agreed date.
- You are obliged to accept and pay for the offered room for the whole period. For bachelor students this means one academic year, for exchange student one (or two) semester(s). In the spring semester it is only possible to apply for one semester.
- Fontys can only guarantee housing for a limited number of students. Therefore, we strongly recommend that you keep on trying to find a room yourself and start your search process well in time.
- Mail to internationalstudents@fontys.nl for further questions.
As Fontys cooperates with a number of different housing agencies and as each party has different standards, the student rooms available vary widely in terms of appearance, size and rental fees. Although it is not possible for students to select the rooms and/or rental fees of their preference, all accommodation arranged by Fontys satisfies the minimum Quality standards of the accommodation. However, stay on the safe side and count on a rental fee of € 650 per month!
Please take into account that – in relation to guarantees – your housing agency will normally request an advance payment of the following items: Two month terms of rental fees and a refundable deposit, usually to the amount of one month of rental fees, as a security bond in relation to any possible damage to the accommodation. Exchange students sometimes need to pay the full semester in advance.
Tilburg
The average fee to rent a standard student room is max EUR 450 per month. A standard room means you have to share facilities like the shower, toilet and kitchen.
Are all of the available accommodations identical?
No, as Fontys cooperates with a number of different housing agencies, the available rooms can differ quite substantially. The rental fees range from EUR 450 to EUR 650 per month and it is not possible to select a particular room and/or preferred rental fee.
All accommodation made available to students via Fontys must satisfy the following minimum quality standards:
- The room must measure at least 10 square metre. If a room is smaller than this, a shared living room is usually available or a lower rental fee will apply.
- The room must be furnished and contains at least one bed (including a duvet and a pillow), a cupboard, a desk, a chair and curtains. Bed linen must be included, it may be necessary to pay a separate fee to the housing agency for this facility.
- Shared facilities must include at least a kitchen, a shower/bathroom, a toilet and a washing machine. In some cases, an additional fee is charged for use of the washing machine.
- Access to the Internet must be available (not necessarily wireless).
- The distance from the accommodation to the Fontys campus must be no further than a 30-minute bicycle ride (exception is the student house in Boxtel, which is located near the train station)
- The rental fee must include access to the Internet and average usage of energy and water.
Once you have applied to Fontys for accommodation assistance, you will be obliged to accept and pay for the accommodation offered. Unfortunately Fontys can only guarantee housing for a limited number of students. Therefore, we strongly recommend that you keep on trying to find a room yourself. Keep us informed if you have found your own accommodation.
Keep in mind, if you decide to firstly look for your own accommodation, you should take into account that after the deadline (as stipulated in the Accommodation Form), you will no longer be eligible to apply for accommodation assistance via Fontys! If you wish to arrange your own accommodation, without assistance from Fontys, you will be responsible for paying potential additional costs that may be charged by commercial accommodation agencies. A listing of commercial accommodation agencies is included below.
Tilburg
- KamerbemiddelingTilburg Commercial accommodation agency
- Kamernet - Commercial accommodation agency
- Klik voor Kamers - Commercial accommodation agency
- Studenthousingholland - Commercial accommodation agency
- Pararius - Online search engine, also for apartments
- https://www.xior.nl/nl/stad/tilburg - Commercial accommodation agency
- Hostel Roots - Hostel
The listed providers of rooms have not all been screened for reliability by Fontys. We advise you to do your own research in advance
Can Fontys help me to find an accommodation?
Due to the housing crisis in the Netherlands, there are not enough student accommodation available. Fontys University of Applied Sciences (Fontys) offers a service to help students find suitable furnished housing for the first period of their studies at Fontys. The deadline to hand in your accommodation form is 15 June if you start in September or the 8 December if you start in February. Fontys can only guarantee housing for a limited number of students, so in the meantime it is important to search for an accommodation by yourself. If you find a place by yourself please inform us by writing an email to internationalstudents@fontys.nl .
When will I be informed about the details of my accommodation arranged by Fontys?
Only after the deadline has passed, Fontys will inform you whether a room will be offered to you. No later than three weeks before the start of your study at Fontys, we will inform you about the housing agency you have been assigned to. We will inform you about the procedure to book the room and at what date the room will be available. In some cases, an accommodation agency will issue a student with a login account to give access to their booking system, via which it will be possible for the student to select from the range of accommodation available via the agency’s website. In other cases, an accommodation agency will contact the student to inform him/her of the specific accommodation available.
In August the accommodation will be available as from 2-3 weeks prior to your commencement of studies at Fontys. In January/February the accommodation will be available just a few days before the start of your studies.
When will I be informed in case Fontys can not help me finding a room?
Although our department International students will do its utmost to find accommodation for everyone, we do not have enough rooms to offer to all new students. Your application will be processed on a first come first served basis and a complete enrolment process. So mind the deadlines.If Fontys doesn't have a room available for you, you will be informed ultimately in the last week of June/December.
What happens if I am not admissible to the study?
If you are not admissible to the study of your choice, your request for accommodation will be cancelled without charge. Please inform us by writing an email to internationalstudents@fontys.nl .
Will I be able to share accommodation with a friend?
No, it is not possible to share a room or a studio with a friend. But at the bottom of the accommodation form, you may submit your ‘preference’ to be in the same accommodation with a certain person. We cannot guarantee that your preferences will be met, but we will certainly try to meet your request. With regard to the range of accommodation that we have available, please note that all accommodation is offered on a ‘first in, first served’ basis.
I submitted an Accommodation Form to Fontys, but then I found my own accommodation. Can I cancel my application for accommodation assistance with Fontys?
You can cancel the application only BEFORE you have been assigned to an accommodation. Please send an email to internationalstudents@fontys.nl to cancel the application. If you cancel the accommodation after you have been assigned to an agency, the accommodation will stay empty and you would still have to pay for rent.
After I have been assigned to an accommodation agency, can I switch to another accommodation agency?
No, you cannot switch to another accommodation agency. When we have assigned all students to their accommodation agencies, all available rooms will be allocated to those students. Therefore, switching to another accommodation agency is not possible.
As I will be arriving a few weeks after the commencement date of my rental contract, will I have to pay for the days during which I have not yet occupied my room?
Yes, you will have to pay for all days as from the commencement of your rental contract, which has a fixed commencement date. By signing the Accommodation Form, you declare that you will accept and pay for a room as from a specified date. If you decide to arrive at a later date, you will still be obliged to pay the rental fee as from the commencement date of the rental contract.
I will arrive a few days before my rental contract commences. Will I be able to occupy my accommodation earlier than scheduled?
No, your accommodation will not available prior to the agreed commencement date of your rental contract. If you need a place to stay until that date, you will need to book a room at a hotel, or a B&B (Bed & Breakfast). For further information, please refer to the section, Commercial housing agencies and other parties.
When I have arrived, if I discover that I do not like my room, will I be able to switch to another room?
No, unless your room does not meet the requirements.
If I have a problem with my accommodation agency/landlord, will Fontys solve this for me?
Legally, Fontys will not be one of the parties to the rental contract, which will be between you and the accommodation agency. Therefore, any complaints and problems concerning your accommodation should be reported to your accommodation agency/landlord. However, if your problem is not resolved, or if you need a helping hand, you may contact a Fontys Accommodation Officer and he/she will try to provide you with appropriate advice/assistance.
May I leave my accommodation prior to the termination date of my rental contract?
No, you may not vacate your accommodation prior to the agreed termination date of your rental contract. As you have signed a rental contract, you will be responsible for the payment of the rental fee associated with your accommodation. However, if you pay the rental fees in full up to and including the agreed termination date, of course, you will be able to vacate your accommodation.
What will happen if I am unable to pay my rent?
When you apply for accommodation assistance via Fontys, you are required to sign in agreement to a maximum monthly rental. As such, we will assume that you are fully aware, in advance, of the expenses associated with renting accommodation. Therefore, you will remain responsible for the monthly payment of your rental fees.
Can I select my preferred accommodation?
In general, it is not possible to select the specific accommodation of your choice. Fontys will decide which student will be assigned to which accommodation agency. However, most accommodation agencies have software available that will allow a student to ‘view’ a student room before accepting it.
What will be in my room and what should I bring?
Your room will have certain characteristics, which have been listed under the section, quality standards of the accommodation. Items that you may wish to bring with you, or purchase locally, would include your personal belongings, towels, soap and detergent, food, toilet paper, et cetera.
What happens after the first semester/ academic year?
If you are staying longer than one academic year you need to find an accommodation on your own. Start searching on time. Do not forget to inform the municipality about your new address.
If you are an exchange student you will probably leave the Netherlands after a semester. You need to deregister at the municipality. Note: The landlord of your room can ask you for proof of deregistration at the municipality as a condition to get your deposit back.
My question is not listed here. Whom can I contact for further assistance?
If the answer to your question is not included here, please do not hesitate to contact Team International Students by e-mail, via internationalstudents@fontys.nl.
