Students should, if possible, have accommodation arranged prior to arriving in Croatia. Please contact the International Cooperation Office of your chosen higher education institution in Croatia for information on student housing options. The most affordable type of accommodation is a public student dormitory. Unfortunately, due to the lack of housing capacity, student dormitory accommodation is not available to all students (neither for all Croatian nationals or all international students). In addition, some towns currently do not offer student dormitory accommodation.
International students do not automatically receive student dormitory accommodation and they have to contact the International Cooperation Office at the higher education institution they are applying to in order to try to ensure housing. Student Centres (Studentski centar) are the institutions that manage all student dormitories according to a system of quotas for available spaces. Higher education institutions usually have a limited housing quota for international students participating in exchange programmes (e.g. Erasmus+, Ceepus) ensured through Student Centres. Also, EU nationals with a residence permit enrolled into full study programmes can apply to regular calls for accommodation published by Student Centres (usually in January and June).
Rooms in student dormitories are usually shared between two people and bathrooms are shared with one or more other rooms. Some student dormitories may contain student cafeterias, gyms, and computer labs. They may also organise additional social activities. The cost of student dormitory accommodation varies from city to city (approx. 40-150 euros per month).
Aside from student dormitories, there is ample of private accommodation. The price of rent in private accommodation varies depending on the town, location, room size and the accommodation quality.
There are several websites that can help students find accommodation:
- Njuskalo.hr (in Croatian)
- Oglasnik.hr (in Croatian)
- Airbnb
- HomeinZagreb
- grabAhome
- Erasmusu
- trawerk
Please note that Study in Croatia does not take responsibility for the content and conditions of these external sites.
There are lot of youth hostels in Croatia which can serve as a temporary or long-term housing option. It is worth noting that youth hostels tend to offer discounts for long-term stays.
All students entitled to subsidised meals (Erasmus+/Ceepus/Bilateral scholarships exchange students, EU nationals enrolled to full-time study programmes) by submitting the student card (iksica) can eat daily at student cafeterias (menza) at affordable prices.
Every month, a specific amount of money per student card is authorised for meals. This amount cannot be exceeded or accumulated over more than one month (the amount is restored each month regardless of the amount left over in the previous month). The status of the student card can be checked at the bottom of each receipt or on the University Computer Centre (SRCE) webpage.
Student cafeterias are usually located at faculties and student dormitories.