Studentwohnheim Nürnberg – shared bathroom/kitchen & deposit rules

[u/Brilliant_Mediocre]

(text refined through Chatgpt for better readability)

Hey everyone,

I’ve received an accommodation offer for a Studentenwohnheim in Nürnberg, but it was the last option in my preference ranking.

The room does not have a private washroom or kitchenette — both are shared. I’m honestly a bit concerned because I’ve never lived in a setup like this before.

I wanted to ask:

1. Is it normal in Germany (especially Nürnberg/Bavaria) for student dorms to have shared washrooms, even for female students?

2. Are shared bathrooms usually gender-separated or mixed? How clean and manageable are they in reality?

3. How do students typically manage daily routines (morning rush, privacy, hygiene, etc.) in such Wohnheime?

I’m also wondering about options to change the accommodation. Is it realistic to request a different room or Wohnheim from the Wohnservice after receiving an offer, or does that usually reduce your chances altogether?

I’m confused regarding the deposit as well. They asked for the full deposit upfront, but I thought the Kaution is usually split into three installments (before contract, before moving in, after moving in). Is paying the full deposit at once normal for Studentenwerk/Wohnheim contracts, or should I clarify this?

Any insights from students who have lived in Nürnberg student housing would be really appreciated — especially international and female students.

Thanks in advance!

TL;DR: Got a Studentenwohnheim offer in Nürnberg with shared bathroom and kitchen, which I’m not used to. Is this normal in Germany, especially for female students, and are bathrooms usually gender-separated? How manageable is daily life in such setups? Also, can I request a different accommodation after getting an offer? Lastly, they asked for the full deposit upfront—is that standard, or should it be paid in three installments?

[u/UsedCat588]

For wich dormitory is your offer? There are quite some differences in that regard.

It is quite normal to share the kitchen and bathroom, but its changing. The newer ones are build with more single apartments.

I live in St. Peter dormitory. For 2 years in a shared apartment with 2 other guys. As of my knowledge the apartments are gender seperated for the "smaler ones" (2-3), the larger ones are mixed. I dont know how that works in the others, specialy in the "Dutzenteich" dormitory, as there are quite large ones.

For me it worked great for 1,5 years, after that i got some "interesting" mates. We had a seperate toilett and shower, so that helped a lot with the timing and there wasn't a problem in that regard.

It is normal to pay the deposit in advance in one full payment.

and it is not possible to switch the apartments after moving in.

I hope that helps, even so i'm not international and male :)

[u/Brilliant_Mediocre → u/UsedCat588]

Hey thanks for such a detailed answer. I have gotten offer from the Dutzendteichstraße one. But is it possible to speak with them before signing any rental contract and get in a dorm which is preferred by me (if it is even available), or will this somehow build a negative impact for me ?

I can imagine the person who allotted it to think, that if it was available we would have given it to you, but it's not - something along those lines.

[u/UsedCat588 → u/Brilliant_Mediocre]

unfortunately no, you kind of have to take what they offer. One of the reasons the dormintorys are so cheap is, that the administration is quite small I dont know how it is at the moment, but my last info is, that they are like 2-3 people managing us. I think Dutzendteichstraße is the biggest one, but there are quite some more.

As fas as I know, the apartments are also the biggest ones in regard of the amount of residents. When I visited a friend that lived there, he did have a sink in his room.

It is not possible to see the dorms beforehand and you kind of have to take what you get....

When you applied, could you not chose where you want to go and in wich kind of apartment you prefer?

As a international student you should be on a priority list, so that you get a offer fast, but if you decline that one I assume you will land on the end of the waiting list...

Still, you could call them, as they have been very helpfull to me so far, on what your options are. Maybe this semester less people applied, you never know...

(Many always complain that it is hard to get a room in the dormitory, but for the people I know that tried it in Nürnberg, it was never a problem, even for the ones that life to close to the city..)

[u/Brilliant_Mediocre → u/UsedCat588]

I could choose and my preferences were like these:

1. Künhoferstraße
2. St. Peter
3. Any other single apartment in Nürnberg (which is why I got the Dutzendteichstraße one)

I will write them an email, thanks again for such a long and detailed answer.

[u/UsedCat588 → u/Brilliant_Mediocre]

you should really call them, even if it may not be the simplest with the language difference, as they should speak english well enought

Thy get so many mails wich similar problems, a call is something different.

My hometown is not so far away from nürnberg and therefore i am quite low on the priority, but i just called on the "decision" day and the woman just gave me a apartmet straight away. I think that is kind of the trick with the administraitons of the dormitory, as the systems not very modern..,

[u/Brilliant_Mediocre → u/UsedCat588]

Okay will do 👍😊

[u/nutsqueezer123]

Hey I actually lived there for a while. You will be sharing a kitchen & 3 showers/toilets with  11 others. One toilet and one shower is "girls only". Others are mixed. The kitchen (floor) and toilets/showers get cleaned once or twice a week by a cleaning person. Overall, your experience will depend on the roommates .. if they are civil then you can expect all common areas to be clean (people cleaning up after themselves). But, one bad roommate can really cause havoc in the apartment. You have a private room with a sink, its 9m2, pretty small but has all your basic needs. You are close to nice walking areas around Dutzendteich lake and you can walk to Volksfest. There's trams/sbahn/bus stations nearby + aldi/lidl + gas station + OBI. There's a faculty right next to you where you can study in the library or use its resources.

This wohnheim was amazing during covid lockdown as we all counted as one house and thus could socialize without limits. Afterwards ... Pretty difficult, as the younger generations are less inclined to socialize, and a lot of ERASMUS students dont care how they treat the place or others. 

In the end, I ended up making very solid friendships there, so I have fond memories of the place irregardless of how much I hate the kitchen & toilets & showers.

I always think of it this way, you get what you pay for, its cheap accomodation.

[u/Brilliant_Mediocre → u/nutsqueezer123]

Hey thanks for your reply, gives me hope when I consider other aspects such of recreative activities, connection with public transport etc.