More than 100,000 students are currently waiting for a place in student accommodation in Germany. According to the German National Association for Student Affairs (Deutsches Studierendenwerk, DSW), more than 10,000 students were still on waiting lists in both Munich and Aachen alone as of mid-September. The high cost pressure on rents is the reason for the extremely long waiting lists for accommodation operated by student services organisations, said Matthias Anbuhl, chairman of the DSW executive board.
North Rhine-Westphalia has the longest waiting list among Germany’s federal states, with more than 38,500 students waiting for accommodation. Bavaria follows with more than 19,500, according to the DSW. “Especially at the beginning of the winter semester, tens of thousands of new first-year students arrive at university locations,” Anbuhl said.
The DSW describes the situation as a new form of social selection. Rent prices are increasingly determining which university students can afford to attend, according to the organisation. The DSW said this is undermining equal access to education in Germany.
Student services organisations have around 196,000 places in student residences available overall. A place in one of these residences costs an average of €330 per month across Germany. By comparison, a room in a shared flat on the private housing market costs €510, according to the DSW. Based on the overall demand for student housing, the student services organisations can provide accommodation for only around 10% of students.
The increase in the BAföG housing allowance planned for summer 2027, to €440, will barely be enough to cover accommodation costs at major university locations such as Munich, Frankfurt am Main or Hamburg, according to the DSW.
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