Accommodation

Foreign students in Belarus can either live in university dormitories or rent flats. Before you come to study, carefully weigh all the advantages and disadvantages of each option. Your living arrangements and leisure activities will have an impact on your learning process.

Dormitories

The dorm is the cheapest accommodation option. All universities in Belarus provide places in dormitories for their foreign students. In about 65% of the dorms, students live in rooms of 3 to 4 people with access to a communal kitchen and a bathroom. Sometimes there are blocks of rooms, with two rooms sharing a kitchen and a bathroom. Dorm rooms typically have a bed, a chair, a writing table, a built-in wardrobe and bookshelves. Students pay a monthly fee of 40 USD or more. Dormitories often have gyms, recreational rooms, canteens and libraries, as well as a security service.

Dormitory fees are not covered by the tuition fee!

Students living in dorms have to follow a set of rules. Naturally, they must keep the furniture intact, keep the rooms clean, keep the noise down (blasting music or TV is not allowed), refrain from smoking in the living quarters and communal spaces, consume no alcohol on premises, and notify the Dormitory Supervisor when they are going to be away. Every student receives a detailed guide with the rules when they move in. If you would like to get a place in a dormitory, you need to find out if you are eligible by sending a request to representatives of your university during the application process, or consulting the university website.

Be sure to check the following in advance:

• Location of the dormitories
• Room type (double / single), range of facilities offered
• Price and payment options

You should send a request for a place in the dormitories only if you have received all the information and decided that this option is for you.

IMPORTANT! Only official representatives of your university can allocate places in the dorms, substantiated by a legal contract. Any private firms or intermediaries who offer you rooms in the dormitories are scammers.

Every student living in the dormitory must undergo medical examination in the student clinic (a fee-based service) and provide the resulting medical certificate no later than 3 days after they have signed their education agreement.

Renting a flat

f for some reason you do not want to apply for a place in the dormitory, you need to look for a flat or a room to rent. This will be a lot more expensive, but you will have the freedom to choose the location and quality of accommodation, and even your flatmates. If you go for this option, you will need to select the accommodation yourself and provide your councillor at the university with the contact number of the person who owns your flat or room.

For your information:

Monthly rent for a one-room flat is 150 to 300 USD, for a two-room flat — 450 USD or more.

Hotel rooms in Minsk cost from 15 USD (in a hostel) to 320 USD (a standard room of a five-star hotel) daily.

An average price for a room in a four-star hotel in Minsk is 180-190 USD.