The Wageningen model has since 2014 provided an open market for student housing. Dutch, European and non-European students and (Sandwich) PhD candidates have equal access to housing offers of Idealis and Wageningen University & Research. We are proud of this and our customers appreciate it. This form of allocation suits the internationalisation goal of higher education.  

In the document ‘the Wageningen model’ one can also read on how having one market for all the students and PhD candidates isn’t immediately obvious. International students and (Sandwich) PhD candidates can’t navigate their way through the housing market as easily as national students and PhD candidates. The question we’d like to address is ‘how can we match the supply and demand of student housing efficiently, without losing the benefits of an open market’. Wageningen University & Research and Idealis have found the answer in close cooperation to assist those students and (Sandwich) PhD candidates who live far from campus and have more trouble accessing the housing market with settling into their first accommodation. For the students we reserve rooms during the summer and winter periods, thereby guaranteeing a supply. During these biannual periods, these rooms are allocated with priority to this group. We thus maintain the open market as students are free to choose, but hereby offer students who live further away a chance to obtain a room and live in Wageningen before the start of the academic year. The responsibility to look for a room lies expressly with the students, which suits both the open market for housing and the freedom of choice. For first-year students who live closer, we aim to have provided accommodation for them by May 1st of their academic year. (Sandwich) PhD candidates can respond to rooms outside of the abovementioned summer periods with priority, thereby offering them a chance to find a room and start their PhD research at Wageningen on time.

We are happy with the cooperation with the WUR, as we together feel and take responsibility to help those students who live far away as much as possible in finding a place through ROOM.nl before their academic year.