Welcome to the FMEL portal
Registering on the waiting list
We invite you to create your account/profile on our portal in order to register for accommodation.
• Only the tenant's private e-mail address must be used to register (and not the one provided by your university or school, or the address of your parents).
• Only one account/profile per person is authorised.
• A valid identity document with photo or a passport is required during the registration process (document to be scanned and uploaded).
• If an offer is received, no change of name is allowed.
FMEL and the student accommodation market
The Lausanne region is facing a persistent shortage of student accommodation. Although the FMEL (Fondation Maisons pour Étudiants Lausanne) has considerably expanded its housing stock, from 1’300 units in 2013 to around 4’000 by 2024, this increase is not enough to meet the growing demand.
This problem is compounded by several factors. On the one hand, only a small proportion of homes become available each year, as leases can be kept for up to three years. Secondly, the agreement between UNIL, EPFL and FMEL provides for a quota reserved for certain categories of students, such as those on exchange programmes, from German-speaking Switzerland or recipients of excellence grants. These accommodations are therefore not available to students registered on the FMEL portal.
In response to this situation, the FMEL is continuing to invest in new infrastructure. A new building under construction on the Campus Santé should provide 776 additional beds by the start of the 2026 academic year.
Latest update :13-12-2024
The FMEL proposes more than 3,300 furnished rooms and studios for students of the University of Lausanne, the EPFL and the HES vaudoises in the vicinity of these institutions.
It is not possible to rent an entire shared flat to live with friends.
Booking session 2025
We would like to inform you that the next booking session will be for a lease start April 2025, except in case of unexpected cancellations.
Please note that your registration on the waiting list does not automatically guarantee the allocation of accommodation by the FMEL.
Thank you for your attention.
last update: 06-02-2025
Scam attempts – warnings
- We would like to remind students interested in renting accommodation in the Lausanne region that there are attempts to scam students our of renting flats, rooms and studios. Useful advice can be found on this link:
https://www.epfl.ch/campus/services/housing/en/general-information/scams/ - The FMEL is aware of these attempts at fraud and is doing everything in its power to stop them. The FMEL reserves the right to cancel any lease acquired illicitly or outside the FMEL reservation conditions.
FMEL residences: a friendly, comfortable and fulfilling place to live.
Mandatory enrolment
To benefit from a FMEL accommodation, you must provide proof of registration with a university/school (listed on our website) for the current semester, or proof of inscription. This document must be in your account/profile.
If you are not eligible for FMEL accommodation, your booking will be cancelled. For more information, please consult our conditions on fmel.ch.
If your lease is officially signed and you only provided proof of enrolment when you received the offer of accommodation, you will receive a reminder inviting you to upload your official enrolment no later than 2 months after the start of your lease.