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Living, housing & studying in Hamburg

Hamburg is not only Germany's second largest city, but also a dynamic place to live, study and work. The Hanseatic city combines urban flair with maritime charm. As a place to study with a diverse cultural offering and numerous career opportunities, Hamburg is the ideal city for young people. We have put together some useful information for you about living and studying in Hamburg as well as helpful tips on housing. Discover how you can make this fascinating city yours!

Living and studying in Hamburg

Going to university is a time when friendships are made for life. But Hamburg is known for its reserved, hanseatic way. A monosyllabic “Moin” to say “hello” seems to be the peak of Nordic cordiality.

What newcomers find strange at first, they quickly learn to appreciate as honest, straightforward and authentic. After all, what would go better with the stiff breeze on the waterfront? Especially when you let the wind sweep through your face together with really good, new friends – the only thing that’s chilly then is the fresh beer in your hand.

So we’re not surprised that Hamburg made it to number 10 of the New York Times’ “52 places to go” in 2018, and we think the city is first and foremost a “place to stay”.

Local legend Lotto King Karl sings in his catchy soccer hymn “Hamburg, my pearl, you beautiful city…” – and you don’t have to be a fan of the local club HSV to feel what he means. The quality of life in the Hanseatic city is simply incomparable, because it never gets boring here.

Green and blue
There is a lot to discover in Hamburg and the water and nature are never far away. Whether on the Alster lake, in the city park, on the Elbe river, along the Alster canals, in the botanical garden “Planten Un Blomen” or in one of the numerous district parks – everyone will find their favourite spot in the greenery, the perfect jogging route or a water sports spot. After all, the city consists of 14% green space and has over 2,300 bridges – more than Venice!

Your Style – Your Neighbourhood
From Art Nouveau neighbourhoods like Eppendorf and Eimsbüttel to magnificent mansions in Blankenese and Harvestehude, Nordic red brick buildings in Barmbek and Eilbek to the clean and modern facades of HafenCity – Hamburg’s neighbourhoods couldn’t be more different. So there’s something for everyone, and exploring away from your own neighbourhood is always worth it.

Party? We can do that!
What would study time be without partying all night? Hamburg is famous for the Reeperbahn on St. Pauli. But the city has a lot more party options and a diverse gastronomic scene to offer. For example, in the Schanzenviertel, in the Lange Reihe or in the Grindelviertel. But sometimes the best party simply takes place in the kitchen of a fellow student.

Shopping tours for every taste
A Saturday stroll through the city also takes you past the numerous shop windows. Luxury on Neuer Wall, high street on Mönckebergstraße or individual boutiques in the city districts. Here, every style and every wallet will find what they are looking for.

The Brand University campus is small and peaceful – it has a family-like atmosphere. But all in all, more than 115,000 students are enrolled at all universities in Hamburg. So student life is spread all over the city and you are part of it.

You are free to use the infrastructure for Hamburg students at any time! For example, you can get a varied lunch in the dining halls of the Studierendenwerk Hamburg or you can live in one of the numerous student residences of the Studierendenwerk. In addition, you can use the study rooms and borrow literature from the State Library of the University of Hamburg. In your free time, you can also take advantage of the sports offered by the University Sports Center.

In addition, the city offers various networking and engagement opportunities for students in the marketing field, for example in the Marketing Club Hamburg or at MTP (Marketing zwischen Theorie und Praxis e.V.).

As the second largest city in Germany, Hamburg is a true cultural metropolis.

Art fans can stroll through the numerous museums, such as the Kunsthalle, the Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe or the Deichtorhallen as well as various small galleries.

Music fans can enjoy concerts at the Elbphilharmonie, opera at the Staatsoper, world-famous musicals in the harbor and in summer the festival season inspires with the MS Dockville, ElbJazz and the nearby Hurricane or the Wacken Open Air.

Acting fans prefer to go to the city’s theaters – such as the Thalia Theater and the Schauspielhaus. Or they enjoy the cozy atmosphere of the art house cinemas.

You can enjoy student discounts at many cultural providers!

Big city – short distances

You can use the HVV public transportation system at any time in the entire area with your student ticket. This means that you can not only get to Brand University for seminars, but can also take trips into the surrounding area on weekends, for example to historic cities such as Lüneburg or Stade.

Are you passionate about cycling? You can get from A to B quickly in Hamburg – and hardly have to climb a hill (let alone a mountain). If you don’t bring your own bike, you can rent a city bike at numerous locations.

If you do need a car, you can also use one of the many car-sharing providers. Or you can take a relaxed ride home in the MOIA after a night of partying.

YOUR UNIVERSITY: BRAND UNIVERSITY

Creating added value through brands - this is what the Brand University in the heart of Hamburg stands for. And this is exactly what makes BU a university whose alumni are highly sought-after professionals in the marketing world, and whose alumni are in high demand.

With us, you will benefit from interdisciplinary teaching with practical relevance and an international focus - thanks to strong partners from Asia. Your studies combine Western and Eastern branding philosophies in a unique way.

Housing in Hamburg

You have decided on your course of study – secured a spot – packed your suitcase!
The only thing missing is an apartment at your new place of study so that the chapter “study in Hamburg” can finally start.

The Hamburg housing market is known for being highly competitive. Do students have any chance at all of finding a room or their own apartment? Yes! But to keep the search stress-free, it makes sense to start looking early and, if possible, on site.

Here is some advice on which options are particularly suitable for students:

The 26 student residences of the Studierendenwerk Hamburg, with around 4,400 dormitory places, are spread all over the city and are a popular option for student living. Here, friendships with like-minded people can be made quickly – it certainly won’t get lonely in the dormitory.

The type of accommodation can be quite different: from furnished single rooms, where you share kitchen and bathroom with the other students on your floor, to 1-bed and 2-bed apartments. Accordingly, the cost of rent also varies. The cheapest rooms start at around 250€ per month including utilities.

You can apply for a room or apartment starting three months before the desired move-in date. Our advice: Since the rush for dormitory places is often great, especially at the beginning of the semester in October and April, you increase your chances by applying to all houses in Hamburg.

Click here for the online application.

Would you rather live in your own room with your own furniture? A popular alternative to furnished dorm rooms are shared apartments, or WGs for short.

Here you share the costs of a privately rented apartment with several students, whereby the amount of your rent is usually based on the size of the room. You and your flatmates have to take care of the incidental costs, such as electricity and internet contracts – in return, you can organize yourself freely and have control over who moves in. That’s why it’s common to get to know your flatmates personally during a chat in the kitchen when viewing a WG room. After all, it’s important that the chemistry is right!

You can find some platforms for finding a WG room here:

In addition to the state-run dormitories, Hamburg also has a large number of privately run student dormitories at various locations. They are usually slightly more expensive, but offer a high level of comfort and modern facilities.

Learn more about the different providers:

You can get relatively inexpensive rental apartments in Hamburg through housing cooperatives. These have a long tradition in Hamburg and offer properties all over the city.

However, in order to be accepted, you first have to make an advance payment and purchase cooperative shares. The waiting lists of most cooperatives are long, but once you have been accepted, you have a good chance of renting your own affordable apartment, even as a student.

The apartment search didn’t work out, but the start of your studies is just around the corner?
Don’t panic! There are various ways to find a place to stay for the first few weeks of the semester, so that you don’t miss the first lectures and seminars and continue your search for accommodation on site.

In addition to dormitory places for permanent living, the Studierendenwerk Hamburg also offers rooms for short-term rent. Here you can live in fully equipped rooms for up to six months to get settled in Hamburg initially.

On the platform WG-gesucht, you can also look for temporary intermediate rentals, if it does not go so well in the search for permanent WG rooms. These rooms are available, for example, because their residents are currently doing an internship in another city or are on a semester abroad. Again, you usually enjoy the comfort of a furnished room and gain time to look for a longer-term place to stay.

If it is only a matter of bridging a few days or weeks, the numerous hostels in Hamburg also offer a good and inexpensive way to buy time on site when looking for accommodation at the start of the semester.