Starting with this post, I wanted to introduce the different housing options available for the IES Abroad Milan Spring 2026 semester. Today, I’m starting with Collegiate Milan Bovisa.
This was actually one of the options I seriously considered until the very end. Even though it required one of the highest additional housing fees, the facilities looked extremely appealing. At the same time, because the building is still relatively new, there wasn’t much information online, which made the decision harder.
One of my friends lived there during the semester, and with her permission, I was able to take some photos of the building and her room to share here.
Entrance & Security
The entrance uses keycard access, and there is always staff present at the reception desk, which made the building feel very secure.
If you want to bring guests, they must be registered through the front desk. However, Collegiate’s guest policy is fairly strict compared to other housing options.
All guests must leave by 11 PM, which means overnight guests are not allowed. In addition, each resident can only register one guest at a time, so it’s difficult to bring multiple friends over together.
Shared Facilities
Looking at the floor guide, you can immediately tell that Collegiate has a large variety of shared spaces.
In fact, it was the only housing option this semester that included a swimming pool. There are also multiple elevators, so moving luggage around the building is easy.
One thing to note is that the cafeteria area was still under construction when I visited.
Common Areas & Study Spaces
One thing Collegiate definitely does well is providing enough common space for students.
Each floor has tables and chairs, so even if you don’t like studying inside your room, there are plenty of alternatives. There are quieter study spaces as well as lounge-style areas where students can relax and work together.
The sky lounge was especially nice. It’s a great place to sit, relax, or even just enjoy the sunlight for a while.
There was also a ping pong table. I never used it myself, but I often saw students playing there.
The Gym & Swimming Pool
The biggest reason Collegiate is so popular compared to other housing options is probably the gym and swimming pool.
To start with the gym: most residence halls seem to have some type of fitness room, but Collegiate Bovisa was definitely the cleanest and newest one I saw.
The equipment itself was fairly similar to the other residence halls, but for some reason the gym here never seemed crowded. Other gyms I visited always had students inside, while Bovisa usually felt quiet.
The swimming pool was also surprisingly well maintained. However, not many students actually seemed to use it. Maybe I only visited during quieter hours, but even students living there told me they rarely saw people swimming.
The pool itself was a decent size, and there was even a sauna attached to the facility, which was a nice surprise.
There were also shower facilities nearby, making it easy to quickly rinse off before heading back upstairs.
The Studio Room
Finally, the most important part: the room itself.
No matter how good the common spaces are, your room is still where you spend most of your time.
Personally, one of the biggest factors for me when evaluating housing is the kitchen setup, and Collegiate’s in-room kitchen was honestly very impressive.
The induction stove had four burners, so cooking never felt limited. The oven and microwave were also both full-sized, making the kitchen feel much more practical than I expected from student housing.
One downside, however — and this seemed to be common across all the residence halls — was the refrigerator size.
The fridge itself was already small, but the freezer section was especially tiny. Realistically, it was difficult to store frozen food, so you had to rely more on shelf-stable ingredients and frequent grocery trips.
The bed itself was fairly spacious for a studio room. It wasn’t huge, but definitely larger than the beds in my university dorm back home.
There was also a TV placed near the foot of the bed, which was a nice touch. My friend owns a Nintendo Switch, so we ended up connecting it to the TV and playing together one evening.
I also liked that the room separated the eating space and study space reasonably well. There was both a bar-style dining table and a separate desk.
The bathroom was not particularly large, but it felt functional and had everything necessary.
I tried to take photos from as many angles as possible, so hopefully they help if you’re currently comparing housing options for IES Abroad Milan.
If you’re considering Collegiate Milan Bovisa, I would say it’s probably the best option for students who:
- prioritize newer facilities,
- enjoy having plenty of common spaces,
- or plan to cook regularly during the semester.
In my next housing post, I’ll introduce another IES Abroad Milan accommodation option, Aparto Ripamonti
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Yubean C. Choi
I love traveling and exploring new places. Just this year, I’ve visited eight different countries! I always enjoy the process of adapting to unfamiliar environments—it’s challenging, exciting, and full of little adventures along the way.
