Why are student residences so hard to get in Italy?
Because there are simply not enough of them. The coverage gap above means that for every student who gets a residence bed, many more end up renting privately, and exchange students arrive late in that queue. Il Sole 24 Ore's August 2026 analysis notes that bed numbers are growing, but the gap with the main European countries remains.
The government is trying to close it. The Ministry of University and Research (MUR) set a target of 60,000 new student-housing beds nationwide by 30 June 2026, under PNRR Reform 1.7 of the national recovery plan. New buildings help, but demand is huge: the student union UDU estimates about 900,000 fuorisede (students living away from their home area), while MUR's narrower official count is about 450,000, as Skuola.net reported in 2024. Either way, the residences cannot absorb everyone.
For an Erasmus student, the practical takeaway is simple. Apply for a residence if your host university offers one, but plan a private-room search in parallel from day one.
How much does a studentato cost compared with a private room?
📷 Matteo Basile / Pexels
Less than you might fear for the public-regulated places, much more than you might expect for branded private ones. According to Il Sole 24 Ore's September 2026 figures, the national average in PNRR-funded residences is €540 a month for a single room and €388 for a double, both including utilities, internet and cleaning. The legal ceiling for a single is €850, and only two facilities nationwide reach it, per the same report.
Those residences also reserve 30% of beds for low-income students under the diritto allo studio (right-to-study) system, at roughly €200-250 a month, Il Sole 24 Ore reported in 2026. Exchange students are rarely first in line for these.
Private branded residences are a different market. Il Post's November 2025 survey found €1,065 a month for a single at Milan's Villaggio Olimpico, €425-670 at Milan's CampusX, from €740 for a single at Camplus Verona, and about €900 at Camplus Palermo.
Compare that with the private market: out-of-town students paid an average of €446.50 a month in 2025, up from €435.50 in 2024, according to a Skuola.net survey of 500 students, with costs above €500 in Milan, Bologna and Rome. Private rooms rarely include bills, so add utilities before comparing.
What do you actually get in each option?
📷 Nikita Belokhonov / Pexels
A studentato sells convenience. You typically get a furnished room, one monthly price covering bills and Wi-Fi, cleaning of common areas, reception staff and a building full of other students. Social life comes built in, which matters when you only have a semester and know nobody.
The trade-offs are real, though. Many residences run on fixed academic calendars, have house rules about guests, and assign you a room rather than letting you pick a neighbourhood. Doubles are common in the cheaper tier, so "student residence" can mean sharing a bedroom with a stranger.
A private room in a shared flat (stanza in affitto) sells freedom. You choose the area, the building and, ideally, the people. You cook in a real kitchen, often live closer to your faculty or the old town, and experience everyday Italian life rather than a campus bubble.
What you give up is the all-inclusive simplicity. Bills are usually split between flatmates, the flat may be older, and the quality of your semester depends heavily on who you live with. Our piece on the uncomfortable truths about living with roommates covers the conversations worth having before you sign.
Which contract will you sign, and why does it matter for one semester?
This is where Erasmus students most often get caught out. Many residences use a contratto di ospitalità (hospitality contract), a hybrid closer to a hotel stay than a lease; read its exit terms carefully.
Private rooms for students usually run on a contratto di locazione transitorio per studenti universitari (transitional student lease). Under Legge 431/1998 and a 2002 ministerial decree, it must last between 6 and 36 months and can be renewed once, according to Studio Cataldi's legal guide. On a one-semester exchange, check early-termination terms before signing.
Every private lease must be registered with the Agenzia delle Entrate (tax agency) within 30 days of signing or of the start date if earlier, per the Agenzia delle Entrate's official guidance (stays under 30 days a year with the same tenant are exempt). If the landlord chose the cedolare secca (flat-tax regime), there is no registration tax to split; otherwise, see who pays the registration tax on a rental contract.
On deposits, Italian law is clear: under Art. 11 of Legge 392/1978, a security deposit cannot exceed 3 months' rent and must accrue legal interest. Don't confuse it with a caparra, a booking down-payment. Any registered lease needs your codice fiscale (Italian tax code); non-EU students also need a permesso di soggiorno (residence permit).
Is a private room riskier for Erasmus students in Italy?
It can be, and the numbers are uncomfortable. The largest cross-European survey of exchange students, run by the Erasmus Student Network and the European Students' Union in late 2022 and published in 2023, found that 28% of exchange students in Italy only found accommodation after arriving, against a European average of 16%. More than 38% of students heading to Italy reported being victims of a housing scam, compared with 10% for Finland, according to the same ESN/ESU report.
Among students who had housing problems, the ESN/ESU survey found that 49% were asked for an excessive deposit of more than one month's rent, and 41% lacked information about the real condition of the housing before arrival. These are 2022 survey figures, the most recent Italy-specific breakdown available, but the patterns will sound familiar to anyone searching today.
Residences carry far less of this risk: a real building, a real operator, a standard contract. With a private room, protect yourself by never paying before seeing the room (in person or on a live video call), insisting on a registered contract, and refusing cash-only deals. Our guide to spotting rental scams in 2026 lists the red flags in detail.
So which should you actually choose?
The ESN/ESU survey found that shared flats are the most common housing type for exchange students overall, and especially so in Southern Europe, while private student dorms are more common in countries like Belgium and the Netherlands. In Italy, a shared flat is the default path, not the fallback.
Choose a studentato if you:
- secured a place early through your host university or the regional DSU/ADISU agency (the public right-to-study body);
- want one all-inclusive price and zero paperwork on arrival;
- value an instant social circle more than choosing your neighbourhood.
Choose a private room if you:
- missed residence deadlines or got waitlisted;
- want to live in a specific area or with Italians rather than only other students;
- can budget for bills and are willing to check contracts and landlords carefully.
Many students do both in parallel and drop whichever falls through. If you are hunting for a room, Coinquilino (coinquilino.app), a free app for finding rooms and roommates in Italy, lets you browse rooms and message people directly (full disclosure: it's our app). For a sense of real local prices, see what a room near Politecnico costs in Turin.
FAQ
Can Erasmus students get a room in a public studentato?
Sometimes, depending on the university. Some host universities reserve residence places for incoming exchange students; others allocate public beds mainly through regional right-to-study calls aimed at enrolled degree students. Ask your host university's international office as soon as you are nominated, and have a private-room backup ready.
Is a student residence cheaper than a private room in Italy?
It depends on which residence. PNRR-funded residences average €540 a month for an all-inclusive single, according to Il Sole 24 Ore in 2026, while private-market students paid an average of €446.50 in 2025 before bills, per a Skuola.net survey. Branded private residences like Camplus can cost far more, as Il Post's 2025 figures show.
Is Camplus worth it compared with a private room?
Camplus is a convenience product: furnished, managed, social and all-inclusive, which suits students who want certainty from abroad. Il Post reported in 2025 that singles start from €740 a month in Verona and reach about €900 in Palermo. If budget matters more than services, a private room is usually the better deal.
How much deposit can a landlord ask for a room in Italy?
Under Art. 11 of Legge 392/1978, a security deposit cannot exceed 3 months' rent, and it must accrue legal interest for the tenant. Ask for the deposit terms in writing, pay by traceable transfer, and get a receipt.
Do I need a registered contract for a private room?
Yes. The Agenzia delle Entrate requires leases to be registered within 30 days of signing or of the start date, with only very short stays exempt. An unregistered contract leaves you with little protection if a dispute over the deposit or the room arises.
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This article was produced with the help of AI tools and reviewed by the Coinquilino editorial team.
