Undergraduate students
Undergraduate students are required to stay in housing arranged by Berklee. Visit the links below for more information on housing for the two specific undergraduate programs.
*Please note that in addition to housing Berklee’s undergraduate students, Livensa Living Valencia Marina Real lodges students from Berklee’s non-residential programs as well as students from other academic institutions. Therefore, room availability is limited. Housing at Livensa will be assigned on a first-come, first-served basis upon receipt of the program deposit.
Berklee will provide students with alternative accommodation if the appropriate lodging for Berklee undergraduate students is no longer available at Livensa. Should you be provided with alternative housing, please keep in mind that the amenities and location may vary. More information will become available to you as soon as possible once the need for alternative housing is confirmed.
Graduate and Summer students
Students in Graduate Programs and our Summer Performance Program must arrange their own housing, with options ranging from finding an apartment to staying at a nearby private student residence hall.
The Valencia campus does not offer student housing directly, but there are many options available for students to choose from. Students can rent a room in a private apartment or rent an entire apartment and arrange to share with classmates. There are also several student residences near campus where students can stay in individual or double rooms, with or without meal plans.
Berklee does not provide any professional legal and/or real estate advice and is therefore not liable for the services carried out by any of these external agencies.
Living in Valencia
Valencia is a large city, and you can choose to live near the beach, near campus, in the center, or in one of several up-and-coming neighborhoods. You should consider how far you want to live from campus, and also if you want to walk, ride a bike or take public transportation. The public transportation system in Valencia is well developed, with various subway lines and an extensive bus system.
Neighborhoods Near Campus
While Valencia offers many good options, living somewhere inside the red arrow (see image below) is near campus and relatively easy to reach by bus, bike, or on foot. Some websites allow you to search for apartments by district. The two sub-districts closest to campus are:
- District Quatre Carreres, sub-district Ciutat de les Arts i de les Ciències
- District Camins al Grau, sub-district Penya-Roja
Note that these two districts have higher than average rent compared to other areas of Valencia, due to their prime location.
Housing Options
Student residence halls
The following student residences are all located about the same distance from the Berklee in Valencia campus:
Apartments in Valencia
Apartments in Valencia can be rented furnished or unfurnished, and range in price and quality from run-down to luxurious. Students should exercise prudence when renting private rooms or apartments, especially when it comes to wire transfers of money.
Most apartment owners and agencies speak Spanish, with limited English. Once you find a room or apartment that you like, you should ask if there is a rental contract you can see and what the terms and conditions are for deposits, length of stay, and other terms. A good question to ask is whether the “gastos de comunidad” (building maintenance fee) is included in the cost of rent, or if electricity and water are included (usually, they are not).
We offer our incoming graduate students a housing database of apartments that have been used and recommended by previous Berklee Valencia students. If you wish to have access to this database, please email us at studentaffairsvalencia@berklee.edu.
Additionally, there are multiple websites and agencies that can help with your apartment or room search, including the following sites
Student-oriented real estate portals/flats for rent:
General real estate portals:
Hotels
A hotel may be a desirable option for a quick visit. Here are a few hotels in the center of Valencia or near campus.
Additional Short-Term Accommodation Options for Summer Students
Student Residence Halls
There are privately run student residences which offer temporary housing at very affordable rates to Berklee summer course students. This is a good option for students who want a place to stay for a short period of time while they look for a long-term housing solution or during summer courses. Contact the residence hall you are interested in directly for more information.
General Recommendations
The following links provide general recommendations to help in the accommodation search:
PLEASE NOTE that Berklee cannot, under any circumstances, act as an intermediary between you and the owner/landlord. These are recommended platforms facilitated for Berklee graduate students, but in no way does the institution assist or provide any service directly. Should you find an apartment you like, you will need to contact the owner/landlord directly. Berklee assumes no responsibility whatsoever in the connection between student and landlord or leasing platform.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which neighborhood should I live in?
These are the nearby recommended areas that we encourage you to explore in your search for accommodations:
- Ruzafa, 23 minutes walking/10 minutes biking
- L’Example, 25 minutes walking/8 minutes biking
- Cuatre Carreres, 12 minutes walking/6 minutes biking
- Camins al Grau, 18 minutes walking/6 minutes biking
- La Alameda-Avenida de Francia, 15 minutes walking/6 minutes biking
- El Carmen, 50 minutes walking/15 minutes biking (old town district)
How should I go about finding an apartment?
To find an apartment, you can contact one of the recommended websites or agents in the above section, or you can request the Housing Database, which includes recommended contact details of landlords and/or owners from previous students, by contacting
studentaffairsvalencia@berklee.edu.
How early should I plan to start looking for an apartment?
We recommend you arrive in Valencia at least two weeks before orientation so you can get familiar with the neighborhoods and make informed decisions about where to live. We highly recommend all students see the place before signing a rental agreement.
What should I take into consideration when signing a lease with a landlord/agent?
- Make sure that your rental agreement is translated into English before signing and committing to it.
- Consider the breaking clauses before committing to a year-long contract. Sometimes, students change their mind halfway through the year about where to live and with whom. Make sure you understand the repercussions of breaking a contract before it ends, prior to committing to it. Furthermore, ask your landlord/agent what would happen if one of the tenants wants to move out and the others want to stay: what would be the consequences? Make sure that all tenants understand this before you sign an agreement together.
- Communicate well with your future roommates. Make sure you know the person/s you will share your apartment with for the whole year before committing to an agreement with them.
- Deposits: Real estate agents and websites usually ask for one month’s rent and one month’s deposit in order to secure an apartment. The month’s rent works as a commission (and is non-refundable) and the deposit will only be refundable in its entirety once you return your keys and the landlord/agent checks that the apartment is in the same condition as when you entered. Do not agree to pay any more than two months’ rent to secure an apartment.
How much should I expect to pay for utilities? Are they usually included in the rent?
Depending on the agreement you sign with the landlord/agent, utility bills (electricity, water, gas) may or may not be included in your rent. Make sure you understand the terms and conditions of your rental agreement before signing, and note that bills might be up to 70–90 euros per person per month (the total cost might also be subject to the number of people living in the apartment). WiFi connectivity might be charged separately from utility bills. We highly encourage you to visit the Phone House at either El Saler or Aqua mall (both within a 10-minute walk from the campus), as they will be able to recommend the best provider for you depending on your needs.
What is the public transportation system like in Valencia?
The
EMT service is the public bus system in Valencia. Night buses do not run as regularly as day buses and not all routes are offered during night shifts, so to get around the city by night we recommend our students do so by either taxis or using
Valenbisi. The tram and metro services are provided by
Metrovalencia. Check routes and times
here.
