DSW: Demand for more housing for students

• Deutsches Studentenwerk (DSW) with new figures on state-subsidized student dormitories
• Currently around 196,000 dormitory places at Studentenwerke and Studierendenwerke
• Ratio of students to state-subsidized dormitory places still only 9.45
• DSW Secretary General Matthias Anbuhl: "Demand for affordable housing remains high; we need more of it"

Berlin, 16 December 2021. The supply rate of students with state-subsidized dormitory places is stagnating at the previous year's level of less than 10%, while the high demand continues: Deutsches Studentenwerk (DSW), the association of Studentenwerke and Studierendenwerke, draws attention to this with a new publication.

According to the new DSW publication "Wohnraum für Studierende. Statistische Übersicht 2021," there are currently about 239,000 state-subsidized dormitory places for students nationwide, of which around 196,000 are at Studentenwerke and Studierendenwerke. More than 10,000 places are currently in planning or under construction.

As the new DSW figures show, the supply of state-subsidized dormitory places still lags far behind the number of students: the number of students has risen by 52% since 2007, but the number of publicly subsidized dormitory places of Studierendenwerke has increased by only 9%. This results in a clear imbalance. The ratio of students to subsidized dormitory places, the so-called accommodation ratio, is now only 9.45%. By comparison, in 1991 it was almost 15%, and in 2008 it was still 12.13%.

DSW Secretary General Matthias Anbuhl comments:

"The demand for affordable housing for students continues despite the pandemic and the coexistence of face-to-face and online teaching. The waiting lists for a place in a dormitory are full to even more than that in almost all Studentenwerken and Studierendenwerken.

Demand will remain high even once the fourth wave has subsided or the pandemic is over or well under control. That's because with a mix of physical events and digital teaching, students need to be on site just as much as they do for a semester of attendance-only classes.

To meet this high demand, we need more student housing. That's why we welcome the ‘Bund-Länder-Programm für studentisches Wohnen, für junges Wohnen und Wohnen für Auszubildende' of the coalition agreement and demand its rapid implementation and strong funding.

We need a total of 2.6 billion euros in federal-state grants by 2027 for the climate-friendly construction of 25,000 additional dormitory places, as well as corresponding renovation and modernization, but also digital modernization of the dormitory stock."

The DSW publication "Wohnraum für Studierende. Statistische Übersicht 2021 - Housing for Students. Statistical Overview 2021" (40 pages) for download:

https://www.studentenwerke.de/de/content/wohnraum-f%C3%BCr-studierende-statistische-1

The press release online:

https://www.studentenwerke.de/de/content/wir-brauchen-mehr-bezahlbaren-wohnraum-für