Dutch student housing shortage stable at 23,000 despite more students living out of home

The number of students living away from home increased for the first time in years, likely due to the reintroduction of the basic study grant. Despite this, the student housing shortage remained about the same as last year with 23,100 too few student rooms or apartments. The student housing shortage, therefore, relatively decreased, according to the National Student Housing Monitor published by the knowledge center Kences every year.

In the past academic year, 46 percent of Dutch students lived in student housing, up from 44 percent in the 2022/23 academic year. Kences attributes the first increase in years to the reintroduction of the basic student grant. When the government scrapped the grant in 2015/16, the proportion of students not living with their parents dropped from 53 percent to 44 percent in 2022/23.

279,400 of the total 613,800 Dutch students do not live with their parents or guardians. Almost all 125,400 international students live away from home. 334,400 students still live at home. 44 percent of them said it was because they couldn’t afford their own living space, and 20 percent couldn’t find their own space. 22 percent have no desire to leave home.

The housing shortage in the 20 largest student cities was estimated at 23,100 living spaces, about the same as the previous academic year, despite the increase in students living out of home. The student housing market is the tightest in Amsterdam, Delft, Eindhoven, Leiden, Nijmegen, Rotterdam, Den Bosch, Utrecht, and Zwolle.

The Monitor still predicts an increase in the student housing shortage in the coming years, but by less than previously expected. Two years ago, Kences expected a shortage of 57,000 living spaces in 2030. Now, it predicts a shortage of 42,000 in 2032. According to the researchers, more homes are being built than expected, including in cities close to universities like Almere and Hoofddorp.

Student housing is the most expensive in Amsterdam, The Hague, and Rotterdam, at an average of over 600 euros per month. The average rent didn’t increase in Amsterdam and The Hague, remaining stable at around 630 euros compared to the previous year. In Rotterdam, it rose from 625 to 640 euros. Wageningen is the cheapest, at 420 euros.

Student union LSVb attributes the relative decrease in the student housing shortage to student participation in the approach. “Since students have been actively involved in student housing, we are finally seeing more space on the housing market for students, although there are still far from enough rooms,” LSVb chair Abdelkader Karbache said.

The student union is pleased that more students are living in student housing but expects that the increase won’t last with the purchasing power measure on the basic grant expiring, meaning that students will soon have 160 euros less to spend. LSVb, therefore, advocates for expanding the rent allowance to include non-self-contained rooms.

“The majority of students still don’t have the financial means to move out,” Karbache said. “We see that rent allowance is a simple solution for many of these students to still be able to afford it. Unfortunately, non-self-contained rooms are currently exempt from this.”