Finding Housing: A Guide for Future ENSAI Students
Hello there, new student! If you’re reading this article, it means – and we hope this is the case for you – that you’ve been accepted to ENSAI. Now that you’ve found your school, you need to find an apartment, and that’s where we, the student association, come in. Unfortunately, we don’t have any apartments to offer you directly, but since we know that the search can be (really) difficult we’ve decided to give you a hand. That’s why we’re writing this quick guide on “how to find an apartment when studying at ENSAI.” We’ll introduce you to a few locations, along with their pros and cons, so you can quickly figure out where to look based on what suits you best. The testimonials come from people who have lived or are currently living in the area in question. Enjoy reading!
Living at Ker Lann
The campus is all about convenience; living on campus means being just a 10-minute walk from school. Since some of the social events take place on campus, living at Ker Lann also means being able to enjoy them every day of the year.
But living on campus also means having access to a rugby field, a track and field, and two tennis courts (not to mention the pool tables and foosball tables available at the school). Since the campus is fairly new and quite green, there are a few paths for walking and shortcuts to Bruz.
The bus line to remember is the C7, which you can catch at the terminus of Metro Line B, at Saint-Jacques Gaité. One way, it takes 10 minutes to get to the supermarket in Bruz, and the other way, you can reach the outskirts of Rennes’ city center without changing buses. For cyclists, there’s a bike path between Bruz and Ker Lann.
For housing, there are seven residences available:
— Club Campus: an unfurnished residence without laundry facilities, but very affordable. The apartments are privately owned, so you can find quite a few Club Campus apartments on LeBonCoin, for example.
Phone: 02 99 67 22 44
— Les Jardins de Ker Lann: a second unfurnished residence; like Club Campus, the apartments are privately owned, and you can find duplexes and apartments with terraces.
Phone: 02 99 30 82 18
— Bérénice (Espacil résidence): furnished apartments (duplexes and studios), coin-operated laundry (€2.70) available, but there is a noisy neighbor—the train.
Phone: 02 99 57 14 67
— Résidence University: furnished apartments, quiet, excellent repair services (free and fast), low-cost laundry facility (€3 per load) but expensive housing, only single beds, and not very tasteful decor.
Phone: 02 99 05 92 10
— Vol de Nuit Residence : brand new! Shared apartments for 4 people, with two bathrooms per unit.
— Léonard de Vinci (Studhotel Residence) : furnished apartments, free laundry machines available, but only single beds and relatively expensive rentals.
Phone: 06 60 84 83 13
We can also add the Louis de Broglie residence ; this one belongs to ECAM Louis de Broglie (another engineering school on campus), so students from that school have priority for this residence.
Off-campus is CapWest, a 15-minute walk from ENSAI, near the McDonald’s—because yes, there’s also a McDonald’s at Ker Lann.
On campus, several services are available to make your life easier. Intermarché delivers to campus on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings. Additionally, every weeknight at 8 p.m., free bread is delivered to the center of the campus (Les Invendus de Ker Lann association: currently inactive but may become active again soon).
Finally, it’s important to note the major downside of the campus: the lack of stores. In fact, aside from the University Restaurant (dining hall), Subway, and Ti’Miam—a restaurant that’s only open for lunch—there are no other stores on campus. To run errands (including the pharmacy and doctor’s office), you’ll need to go to Bruz. Another point: prices on campus are still quite high for apartments that are often small. That said, you might just find that rare gem!
Living in Rennes
Thanks to its vibrant student life, dynamic atmosphere, and proximity to the train station and the “rue de la soif,” living in Rennes while studying at ENSAI can be a real advantage. Living in Rennes also gives you access to all the necessary amenities within walking distance (such as grocery shopping), which isn’t always possible elsewhere.
ENSAI is located on the Ker Lann campus in the town of Bruz. Therefore, we do not recommend certain areas of Rennes as they would be too far from ENSAI. This is the case for the Villejean and Beaulieu campuses (where the university housing complexes are located). Commuting between these campuses and ENSAI would take about an hour by public transportation. When living in Rennes and wanting to get to ENSAI by public transportation, there is only one option: take Metro Line B and Bus C7. We recommend housing that provides access to Line B stops.
A train on metro line A. Rennes ranks among the top 3 smallest cities in the world to have its own metro. Yep.
So the minor downsides of living in Rennes are the high real estate prices (the prices of a major city popular with students, basically) and the fact that you’re far from campus (commuting morning and evening, and being far from campus parties).
Our recommendations for neighborhoods to consider:
1. Downtown Sainte Anne, Mail François Mitterrand and Boulevard de la Tour d’Auvergne (30 minutes by bus from Ker Lann)
Living in this area puts you close to the train station, shopping centers, and the historic district. This area is highly sought-after and in high demand, which is reflected in the rent prices.
2. Boulevard Jean Mermoz (20 minutes by bus from Ker Lann)
Living near this boulevard puts you very close to downtown (about 10 minutes by metro on Line B) while still being close to Ker Lann. Rents should be lower than downtown.
Living in Bruz
Since the Ker Lann campus is located in the “suburbs” of the Bruz metropolitan area, we won’t discuss the campus in this section. Living in Bruz can be a real advantage when:
1) There are no rooms left to rent on campus
2) You want to live and/or share an apartment on a budget and have a great place
3) You’re a big fan of peaceful atmospheres
To summarize Bruz very briefly, there are two neighborhoods: Bruz Centre (and the surrounding area) and Vert Buisson (and the surrounding area).
Let’s start with Bruz Centre. To help you get your bearings, the neighborhood’s landmark is Place du Docteur Joly. The main advantage of this area is that rents are very (very) affordable—much more so than on campus. Nearby, you’ll find a Super U that serves you just fine, as well as laundromats, pharmacies, banks, and—most importantly—a kebab shop, a taco place, and a Domino’s. So you’re very well provided for. You’ll find all the shops you need, including a movie theater.
On the other hand, it’s far away. If you don’t have a car and aren’t a fan of biking in the rain, Bruz Centre isn’t very convenient. Although Bruz Centre is very close to the campus as the crow flies, the C7 bus will take a good 20 minutes to get you to ENSAI and even longer to get you to Rennes (via bus and metro). There’s also a small train station that, if you live nearby, can get you to campus and Rennes in just a few minutes. Since ENSAI is an eco-friendly school, we recommend that if you plan to rent a small apartment in Bruz Centre and drive in every morning, you should opt for carpooling.
Now let’s talk about the Vert Buisson neighborhood. Prices are roughly the same as in Bruz Centre—in other words, very reasonable. For 400 euros a month, you’ll get a real “parent’s apartment.” Recently developed, you’ll find all the shops you need for your daily needs. With its huge Intermarché—which even has a Kiabi inside—you’ll be thrilled! There’s also a small Aldi nearby, a laundromat (a bit pricey, let’s be honest), and a sushi place. The Vert Buisson bus stop is about ten minutes from campus and 35 minutes from Rennes. You can walk or bike there, though bike lanes are a bit scarce in this part of Bruz—but it’s still doable! By car, you’re 5–10 minutes from campus.
Living in Saint-Jacques-de-la-Lande
Saint-Jacques-de-la-Lande is a town south of Rennes that could be described as a good compromise. Its location halfway between the large, bustling city of Rennes and the quieter town of Bruz makes it convenient.
As you might expect, Rennes—a city that needs no introduction—is home to a wide variety of shops. That’s where you’ll find the downtown area with its shopping malls, movie theaters, restaurants, bars, universities, supermarkets, and other stores. The atmosphere is such that the liveliest streets are known to everyone locally, much like the famous “Rue de la Soif.” In short, it’s a place where you can find everything and meet up with friends. Meanwhile, Bruz is certainly a less bustling town, but one that’s appreciated for its peaceful atmosphere and rural surroundings. It is home to the Ker Lann campus, which includes numerous engineering schools and student housing. It’s worth noting that student life and well-known events in the region don’t take place solely in Rennes but also at the Bruz Exhibition Center, where the Transmusicales festival is held.
In this sense, Saint-Jacques is a great place to find some peace and quiet without cutting yourself off from the hustle and bustle of the city. Several bus lines and numerous stops connect the three cities. The advantage of Saint-Jacques is that—since it’s close to the city center—it takes only 15 minutes to get to République, Rennes’ most central square. And a trip to Bruz takes about 20–25 minutes.
Saint-Jacques-de-la-Lande also has its own unique features and isn’t solely dependent on the towns surrounding it. Rennes Airport is located in Saint-Jacques, offering flights to major cities in southern France such as Nice, Marseille, and Toulouse. You can also get some fresh air and take a stroll near Avenue Roger Dodin in Saint-Jacques Park, go to work or read at the Lucien Herr Media Library located in the same neighborhood on Allée Claude Debussy, or work out at the Alice Milliat Gym a little further down in the district.
In terms of housing, several neighborhoods are undergoing rapid development, primarily Pigeon Blanc, Courrouze, and Pilate, around which you’ll find, for example, the Jardin de la Pilate and the Salvador Allende sports complex; Rue de Nantes, where life is very pleasant thanks to the Super U, bakeries, fast-food joints, and other services; the Parc de Bréquigny; and the Alma shopping center, all just a few minutes away.
If you’re coming from far away, it’s best to choose a shared apartment, since it will already be furnished and ready to move into. Unlike on-campus housing, the washing machine and Wi-Fi will be free, and the rent will be cheaper! On the other hand, you’ll need to take the bus to get to campus or to other workplaces in town. Otherwise, Saint-Jacques, just like Rennes, is a city with a high turnover of residents, even more so in this post-lockdown period following the Coronavirus crisis. As a result, apartments become available just as quickly as they are filled.
In short, when looking for an apartment in Rennes, Bruz, or Saint-Jacques, we strongly recommend checking listings on Le Bon Coin or joining the “Étudiants de Rennes” group on Facebook—there are plenty of listings circulating there right now (and it’s a group we recommend anyway for getting involved or finding information!).
Living in Chartres-de-Bretagne
Living in Chartres-de-Bretagne means being less than a 10-minute drive from the Ker Lann campus, having your independence, and living in the countryside while still having a supermarket, pharmacy, bakery, and more nearby. You can get a larger apartment for the same price as on campus. You’ll also be right in the thick of student parties (the “Chartres”) and can host pre-parties at home! However, you really need a car since there’s no direct bus to the campus.
Living in Pont Péan
Let’s finally talk about another town near Bruz: Pont Péan. It’s a bit more rural, so prices are lower than in Rennes or on campus. As a result, you can get a larger apartment than on campus for the same price. There are buses, but with the schedules and all, it’s not practical to take the bus to school, so you absolutely need a car! And if you have a car, that means no drinking or having to crash at someone’s place after parties, right? FYI, Pont Péan is less than 10 km from campus—about a 10- to 15-minute drive. Quick tip: the bakery is absolutely amazing (if you want to bring some Kouign-Amann back for your mom when you go home), and there’s a Super U, so you don’t need to take the car to go grocery shopping.
Well then, settle in and welcome to ENSAI!
Article written by the ENSAI Student Union 2020. Last updated: April 2026.
Thanks to Marion Simon, Angelina Denis, and the communications team for their testimonials <3
