Dublin is a popular city to live, work and study in – and its popularity is growing. This means that finding comfortable, affordable student accommodation can be challenging.

Things are improving, however. So with a bit of planning and persistence, you can find a great place to live at a price you can afford.

What kinds of student accommodation are there?

On-campus accommodation

Living on campus is a great option. It means you’re always close to class, you’re surrounded by like-minded people and there are plenty of facilities built with students in mind. Consequently, space on campus gets snapped up very quickly. Prices have generally been creeping upward, but during the pandemic some on-campus rents were reduced.

If you get in early enough you can enjoy all these benefits and the quintessential university experience. Check out the student housing available from some of Dublin’s universities and colleges below.

• Trinity College Dublin
• University College Dublin
• Dublin College University
• TU Dublin
• Griffith College

Off-campus accommodation

Private rentals

The private rental market offers a range of housing options – from apartments to freestanding houses, whole properties and single rooms. There’s also a wide variation in the standard of these properties, so be sure to inspect them before you agree to a tenancy.

You should also make sure you fully understand how much it will cost to live there. You may have to pay for electricity, heating and broadband on top of your rent. It may seem warm when you’re searching in the summer, but think about how much you’ll rely on the heating during a damp Irish winter. (Be sure to check the cupboards and wardrobes for mold too.)

Homestays

Dublin colleges are currently encouraging homeowners to rent a room to students and many are doing so. If you’re comfortable living with a local family, a homestay or ‘digs’ can be a great way to learn more about the city’s people and culture. It will keep costs down too.

There are plenty of homeowners around Dublin who welcome international students. Homestay is a good place to start your search.

Where can I search for accommodation?

Real estate is a big deal in Dublin and there’s no shortage of websites serving the market. Some have excellent student accommodation offerings too.

Daft.ie

Checking out Daft’s student section is a good idea. It’s particularly strong for finding shared room options and you can filter the results by price range and area.

Rent.ie

Rent.ie arranges its student accommodation listings by university or college. It’s very handy! Just click on yours for a list of nearby rentals.

Dublin Nest

Dublin Nest is an accommodation provider that helps international students and young professionals find accommodation in some of the most beautiful places in Dublin.

International Student Accommodation

Similarly, ISA has a great selection of accommodation options and some great advice on finding the right place.

Student House

Student House is a Dublin-based website and lists over 8,600 rooms available in the city.

Fresh Student Living

Fresh runs a number of student accommodation hubs across Dublin. There’s Highlight Student Living in two central locations on Thomas Street in the Liberties and Parkgate in Stoneybatter – two of Dublin’s most popular neighbourhoods. It also runs student accommodation on Blackhall Place and two hubs near Cork Street. These all offer private rooms in shared apartments solely for students.

College Cribs

This site is all about connecting students with trusted local landlords. It has some great listings.

Mezzino Student Living

Mezzino creates student accommodation hubs in the UK and Ireland. Its Highfield House location is based in Dublin 7. It offers handy access to all of the city’s colleges and universities, but is particularly close to the TU Dublin campus in Grangegorman.

Other large student accommodation hubs in Dublin include Aspen and Hazelwood Student Village near DCU and Heyday Student Living near the city centre.

TU Dublin’s Studentpad

TU Dublin offers its own free student accommodation search engine called Studentpad. It is designed specifically to help its students find a place near the campus they’ll be attending. Right now, the database features 125 properties around the city.

UCD’s AccommodationPad

Similarly, UCD offers its students an accommodation search tool called AccommodationPad. It currently features 153 properties, but you can also set up alerts.

Facebook groups

Search for ‘accommodation Dublin’ on Facebook and a whole bunch of groups will appear. Dublin Rent A Room/House/Apartment/Accommodation Group hits all the keywords – literally! It has over 55,000 members and shares 40 posts a day.

There’s also Rent Dublin Accommodation, Rent in Dublin and Dublin Flat Share, which also have pretty big memberships and regular posts.

The Dublin Student group was set up specifically for students in search of accommodation. It has over 5,000 members and publishes ten new posts each day. There’s also groups for specific schools, including Trinity College, UCD and DCU. While the NCAD Accommodation Network is operated directly by the NCAD Students’ Union.

Some of these groups are private, so you may have to answer a couple of questions before administrators provide access. You’ll be notified once you’re in.

How much is student accommodation in Dublin?

The cost of student accommodation in Dublin can vary hugely depending on location, size and quality.

For on-campus accommodation, rents vary quite a lot too. As of June 2021, they start from around €600 and range up to more than €1,000 per month. This may seem like a hefty price but, if you decide to rent a room elsewhere, you can expect to pay €1,679 for a one-bed apartment in the city centre. Or €1,405  for one in the suburbs. At least that’s according to crowd-sourced cost of living database Numbeo.

But don’t worry, you can significantly reduce your bill by sharing student housing or renting a room.

Homestays can be as low as €20 per night. And according to TU Dublin, the average monthly rent for student accommodation in Dublin was €685 in 2023.

What are my rights as a tenant?

The Residential Tenancies Act 2004 provides tenants of every type with some basic rights, such as decent living conditions and privacy. There’s also some less obvious ones, like the right to a rent book that records all of your payments.

The national Union of Students in Ireland has a useful PDF guide explaining your rights and obligations as a tenant. It’s also worth noting that if you can’t settle a problem with your landlord, you can contact your college’s students’ union for advice.