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Emerging housing crisis for students

Stockholm | 2010-07-23 | 6 comments
The new students who start studying at the universities in Stockholm in August face a difficult housing situation. The housing queue has been doubled and the waiting time quadrupled. This writes Svenska Dagbladet (SvD) today.


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The first years seem to beat a record in numbers this autumn. A high youth unemployment and unusual high number of high school graduates are the main reasons.

No new student apartments have been built

What is making the whole thing even worse is that last year was also a record year in the number of first years starting to study in Stockholm. They have either filled the student apartments or are still in the housing queue.

No new student apartment buildings have been built in Stockholm for several years. This makes the situation even worse for the new-comers.

According to Svenska Dagbladet, 52,200 are now in the student housing queue in Stockholm. This is an increase from around 44,000 last year and from around 25,000 in 2007. Naturally the waiting time has been longer during this period. Three years ago, there were three months waiting time for a room in a student dorm. Today the waiting time is 12-15 months for a dorm and longer for a flat with private kitchen.

The housing crisis may create alienation and bad results

The difficult housing situation in Stockholm and other big university cities according to Elisabeth Gehrke, vice chairman in Sweden's student's union.

- We see a danger that the housing crisis will create alienation. In the cities in which the situation is the worst, it is also more expensive with flats which are not normally for students (like in Stockholm*). This leads to a situation where students with a strong social background will make it easier because they will get economic help or find a flat through one of their contacts, says Elisabeth Gehrke to SvD.

Another effect of the housing crisis is potentially bad study results. It is not unlikely that students who have serious problems with their housing situation will feel psychological stress and perform worse. It is not uncommon in the classical student cities as Lund and Uppsala that two persons share one room according to SvD.

Readers' comments

2010-10-27 12:39 Amer wrote:
Raf, advertise in this paper that u are looking for accommodation. It´snot that expensive
2010-10-27 00:01 Raf wrote:
I am PhD student, married. I have started my courses in Sept 2009 and have been in the queue for student accommodation since March 2009. Since I am married I still dont have a fixed place to live. I have moved every 6, 9 months. This is INSANE!! Now I am telling friends not to come to Stockholm because there is no accommodation. I have never seen this before... a so developed country with a so undeveloped housing market.
2010-10-04 14:54 John wrote:
My cousin is studying in Uppsala University, came from around 45 days to Stockholm and he still didn’t find any place to stay in Uppsala. He is staying with a friend in the suburbs of Stockholm temporary and he has to go almost every day to Uppsala! That is very poor service! Students must have the priority of finding places to Study! Why they accept them to come to Sweden and study if they can’t help them in finding a place to stay!
2010-09-23 06:10 vlj wrote:
I think, a way out is universities to ensure housing for prospective student, in case it is required. secondly, universities while admitting, should give due weightage to this requirement of housing.
2010-08-24 10:53 Ozzie wrote:
its horrible, my sister is studying at Lund uni. and is an foreign exchange student from austrlia. A week and a half and still no housing.
2010-07-28 11:16 berk wrote:
this is a really bad situation im erasmus student here i have been moved to stockholm 1 months ago and i didnt see same situation before anywhere.there isnt enough house for students.and the room renting fee is so high for stockholm i think if u will not buíld new houses or dormitory nobody wants to come here.because as u know this is a big disadnantage for students


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