Student Housing and Hostel Life in Mauritius
By Muntasir • Published Jun 04, 2026 • Updated Sep 20, 2026 • Student Housing, African Countries & Cities
Most students in Mauritius live at home and commute by bus rather than in a dorm, since the island is small and few public institutions run large hostels.
🏠 On-campus hostel places are limited and usually prioritized for students who live far from their institution, including those from Rodrigues.
⏱️ Commuting by public bus is common and often cheaper than renting, given Mauritius' size and bus network.
📩 Off-campus rooms cluster near university hubs such as Réduit and Moka.
💵 Get a written lease and confirm the landlord's identity before paying any deposit.
Why most students don't live in dorms
Mauritius is a small island, and most students study within commuting distance of home. Public buses connect the main towns and university areas, so many students, including most at the University of Mauritius in Réduit, travel from home each day rather than pay for accommodation. This keeps living costs down compared with countries where students routinely relocate across the country for university.
On-campus hostels
Some public institutions run limited hostel accommodation, but capacity is small relative to total enrollment, and priority typically goes to students who live far from campus, including students from Rodrigues and other outer islands who cannot commute daily. If you want a hostel place, apply as early as your institution allows and confirm the process directly with the accommodation or student affairs office, since spaces are competitive and rules differ by institution.
Off-campus housing
Students who don't get a hostel place, or who attend an institution without one, rent privately. Rooms and shared apartments cluster around the main study areas: Réduit and Moka in the center of the island host the University of Mauritius and several private campuses, while Rose Hill and Curepipe offer more general rental stock with good bus links to those campuses. Rent, deposit requirements, and included utilities vary by landlord and area, so treat any advertised price as a starting point to confirm, not a fixed rate.
Finding a safe place
Ask your institution's student affairs office for a list of vetted landlords or past-student recommendations before searching independently.
View the room in person, or get a trusted contact to view it, before paying anything.
Get a written lease that states rent, deposit, notice period, and what utilities are included.
Avoid paying a full year upfront to someone you have not verified, and never pay a deposit before seeing the room.
Confirm the property has reliable water and electricity, since outages affect some areas more than others.
Sharing to cut cost
Splitting a room or apartment with one or two other students is the most common way to bring down rent in the main student areas. Look for shared housing through your institution's student groups or notice boards first, since arrangements with people connected to your campus tend to be more reliable than open listings.
If you're moving from Rodrigues or elsewhere
Students from Rodrigues, and students who relocate to mainland Mauritius for university, face the highest housing costs, since they cannot commute home and need full-time accommodation. Ask your institution early whether it reserves hostel spaces for students in this situation, and budget for accommodation from your first semester rather than assume a hostel place is guaranteed.
Students arriving from other African countries under schemes such as the Mauritius Africa Scholarships Scheme face the same search, and should start well before travel, since arranging a place from abroad takes longer than a local search.