AIT helps students find reasonable accommodations for their stay. Following acceptance to AIT, students should complete the Room Match Form electronically on the website. We try to find the most suitable accommodations for the semester in Budapest. After collecting all housing requests, apartments will be assigned randomly by ballot.

Accommodations

Generally, 2-5 students will share a two-five bedroom apartment. Housing options will be specified on the Room Match Form. All apartments are non-smoking and equipped with an internet connection, linens, sheets, a washing machine (clothes dryers are rarely used in Hungary), and an equipped kitchen. Cleaning service once a month is included in the utility fee.

Location

Students can take advantage of Budapest's spectacular cultural offering and vibrant nightlife, so AIT offers accommodation in the city center. Living downtown is more convenient for evening programs and on weekends, but this will entail a 40-50-minute commute every day to the AIT Campus. Students will purchase a transportation card, for unlimited use. In most cases, they will have access to transportation 24/7.

Rental fee

The monthly rental fee + utilities are payable in Hungarian forints to landlords at the beginning of each month. Also, a one month security deposit for incidental damages is required which should be provided together with the initial rental fee and will be returned upon moving out.

Monthly fees for living in a shared apartment having an own bedroom*:

Rent $ 335-450
Utilities $ 140

Monthly fees for living alone in a studio apartment *:

Rent $ 615-840
Utilities $ 140

* Estimates above are calculated at the current exchange rate of 358 HUF/USD (March 24, 2023). These figures may change with the fluctuations of the HUF/USD exchange rate and changing market conditions. The actual price of utilities may differ from the figures above. These are for planning purposes only.

AIT-arranged housing for the Spring and Fall semesters is booked for 4 months. For students taking the optional language course housing is booked from the middle of the month preceding the start of the semester (mid-January for the spring and mid-August for the fall semester), therefore rent is due for 4,5 months.

Deadline

Please fill out the Room Match Form no later than 2 weeks after acceptance. If you have a roommate request, please indicate this in the appropriate box.

Changes in housing during the Covid-19 pandemic

What will housing be like?
AIT will no longer offer shared bedroom accommodation. Only single-occupancy bedroom apartments and studios will be available to facilitate better social distancing and self-isolation when needed. Students may not elect to live in apartments that are not approved by AIT. Only AIT-approved housing will be available.

Will there be separate housing for those who need to quarantine?
Yes, AIT maintains apartments that will be available to those who need to quarantine temporarily because they tested positive. Students in temporary quarantine housing will be assisted by AIT staff members and healthcare professionals when needed.

General information about room assignments

AIT arranges student housing in order to allow enrolled students to live in safe and high-quality apartments throughout their stay in Budapest. Each apartment is visited by AIT staff before it is offered to students and we keep regular contact with landlords to maintain quality and address any issues before they arise and to ensure prompt action from the landlord when needed. AIT staff is working hard to accommodate any request from the student body and thrives to make the assignments reflect the preferences indicated in the housing forms as closely as possible.

AIT staff works with a number of landlords who provide different sorts of apartments in the city in different neighborhoods. This is done by the specific request of AIT’s partner institutions, backed by AIT’s own consideration that the cultural immersion aspect of the program is best served by living amongst the different communities in Budapest, rather than staying in a dorm with set and identical surroundings that offers limited contact with locals. While AIT never compromises on safety and quality, there may be differences between apartments regarding a number of factors, including but not limited to the proximity of supermarkets, food options, nearest metro station, or different public transport to name a few. AIT does acknowledge these differences and tries to match students' preferences with the apartments available, hence the importance of filling out the room match form carefully. 

With the most careful planning and consideration, however, there may be instances where a student could find an apartment assigned to them less to their liking. In these instances, AIT staff will do everything in their capacity to remedy any complaint - talking to the landlord to supply/remove furnishings and appliances, pointing out different points of interest in the neighborhood (restaurants, produce markets, etc.) - but generally, there is very little room to accommodate requests for changing apartments based on personal preferences. 

Getting used to a new living situation is a process that may take longer for some students and for this all students are encouraged to talk to the staff members about any issue they may see with their living situation so that they can provide support early on. AIT is asking for the support of the student community as well to help sort out any difficulties that their classmates may encounter. Part of this effort is to get to know your neighborhood and share knowledge with each other about the best places to eat, do groceries, shop, etc., and generally look after each other while living in Budapest. Please do understand that changing apartments is often extremely difficult or impossible because of the limited number of options available. Once again, the apartments are all different in many ways, but none of them are below standard in safety and quality, and the AIT staff is there to help with any and all apartment-related issues, so do not hesitate to turn to them.