The Université de Bordeaux’s 2026-27 housing guide lists a Crous room at €250 a month and budgets €600 for a private residence or studio, while LocService says a studio averages more than €600 across Bordeaux, Pessac and Talence. This guide sets out those figures, the deadlines and guarantee options, and what I could not verify.
Details come from the Université de Bordeaux housing guide (June 2026), Service-Public and LocService, checked on 21 October 2026. The guide cites no source for its private-rent budget figures, so treat them as estimates. Confirm everything for your intake before you pay.
Costs in the university’s guide
| Item | Figure in the 2026-27 guide |
|---|---|
| Crous residence room | €250 a month |
| Private student residence | €600 a month (budget estimate) |
| Private studio in town | €600 a month (budget estimate) |
| Room in a shared flat | €450 a month (budget estimate) |
| First-month setup | About €1,500 for furnishing, deposit and agency fees |
The guide budgets €25 a month for complementary insurance and €20 for civil liability insurance, and says home insurance must be in place before you collect the keys. A LOCA-PASS advance can cover the deposit as an interest-free loan of up to €1,200, repaid over a maximum of 25 months.
What the market data says
LocService’s Nouvelle-Aquitaine study (9 June 2026) says a studio rents for more than €600 on average in Bordeaux, Pessac or Talence, a figure that combines the three communes. Across the region, studio and T2 rents rose by more than 8 percent and rooms by 6.7 percent, and the tension in Bordeaux, Pessac and Talence was almost halved. Nationally, LocService’s May 2026 release puts the average student studio at €583 including charges for 24 square metres.
Applying for a Crous residence
- Deadline: the Bordeaux guide says Crous applications are due by 15 May through the student social file, and late applicants can join a waiting list.
- International students: Crous housing is prioritised for those enrolled in master’s or doctoral programmes, who can apply from the second week of July subject to availability. Eligibility does not guarantee a place. Service-Public says the 2026 main phase excluded international students and the complementary phase opened on 7 July.
- If you get an offer: confirm within five days and pay a €70 advance, deducted from your first rent. The file needs a guarantee, a deposit of one month’s rent and insurance.
Guarantee, benefit and scams
- Visale: free for students under 30, with a certificate issued within 48 hours if the application is complete. For students the covered rent is capped at €840 a month in communes of more than 100,000 inhabitants. GarantMe is a paid alternative for students over 30.
- APL: from 1 July 2026, students from outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland no longer get APL unless they hold a social-criteria scholarship. Working students, apprentices, refugees, stateless students and spouses of non-EU students may still qualify.
- Scams: the guide warns against rents far below the market, never paying in cash, never paying rent or a deposit before signing the lease, and avoiding firms that sell lists of homes.
The guide recommends searching between exam results and mid-August at the latest.
Crous residence or private rental?
| Question | Crous residence | Private rental |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly rent | €250 for a room in the guide | €450 to €600 in the guide’s estimates, and studios above €600 on average (LocService) |
| Access for international students | From July, subject to availability | Open market, so start early |
| Upfront | €70 advance plus a deposit of one month’s rent | About €1,500 setup budget in the guide |
I have not ranked neighbourhoods or listed individual residences, because I could not verify prices or area details against reliable sources. View any place in person or on a live video call, and never pay before you have a written lease. For other French cities, see our guides to Toulouse, Lyon and Paris, or browse all student accommodation in France.
FAQs about student accommodation in Bordeaux
How much is a student studio in Bordeaux?
LocService says more than €600 on average across Bordeaux, Pessac and Talence, and the university guide budgets €600 for a private studio.
How much is a Crous room?
The 2026-27 guide lists €250 a month for a room in a Crous residence and gives no other Crous rents.
Can I borrow the deposit?
The guide says a LOCA-PASS advance can cover it as an interest-free loan of up to €1,200 over a maximum of 25 months. Check your eligibility with the provider.
Sources
- Université de Bordeaux: housing guide 2026-2027
- LocService: Nouvelle-Aquitaine student housing 2026
- LocService: national student housing study, May 2026
- Service-Public: Crous student housing, 2026-2027
- Service-Public: Visale guarantee
- Service-Public: housing benefit changes, 1 July 2026
All checked 21 October 2026.
