Waiting lists for student housing longer than a bachelor's degree takes
The waiting times for student housing in the Netherlands are, on average, longer than it takes to complete a bachelor’s degree, NU.nl reports after speaking to student housing providers. A bachelor’s degree takes three years to complete. Students in Amsterdam, Delft, and Leiden have to be registered with a student housing provider for nearly five years before they qualify for housing.
Many student housing providers allocate a room based on how long the student has been on the waiting list. Someone who has been registered for five years will get a home before someone who has been on the list for two years.
Tilburg is the only student city with an average waiting time shorter than a bachelor’s degree. In Tilburg, students wait just under three years before being eligible for student housing. So they’ll be able to at least graduate while living in the city where they study. In Wageningen, Breda, and Groningen, the average waiting time is 3.5 years.
“The situation is worrying,” Johan de Bie, chairman of the Kences trade association, told NU.nl. “You have to register at the age of 16 if you want to have a chance of getting a room in time.”
The long waiting times for student housing have to do with the Netherlands’ housing shortage. There are too few student rooms available, and those that exist are mostly occupied by former students who can’t find a starter home to move on to.
Jolien Dopmeijer of the Trimbos research institute also called the situation worrying. “Students indicate they cannot take certain development steps due to the housing shortage. That can cause stress, worries, a negative future perspective, and, ultimately, depression,” she told the newspaper.
Students without a room often have to travel far for their studies. “That is extremely stressful,” said Dopmeijer. Traveling, studying, working, and participating in social activities make for an unsustainable schedule.
