European Countries are Facing Continuous Shortage of Housing for International Students

Europe is attractive to students for its quality education, career focused curriculum, lower cost of tuition fees, and shorter courses, when compared to Australia, Canada or the USA. As a student going abroad to study these all are much more than the eye at first. While you decide to study abroad, you are also supposed to live there and manage everything on your own, groceries, rent, making or arranging food and everything else. Students spend good half of the day inhouse and not getting proper accommodation can put you in strife and put amental burden on them, which in effect will reduce the focus on studies. Europe is going through a shortage in student housing, which can touch alarming levels in the coming time.

Accordingly, to a2024 analysis by international real estate firm JLL, there had been a lack of 3million beds for students throughout Europe last year, and the scenario is expected to get worse over the next five years, when a further 200,000 beds will be needed. This is partly because international students will make up half of Europe's student population, which is predicted to increase by 10% by 2030–2031to 23.5 million. In Europe, private funding accounts for just 40% of PBSA beds. The remaining ones are either publicly owned or subsidized, and they don't always accept students from all financial backgrounds. JLL claims that the circumstances amount to a € 450 billion investment opportunity.

At the current rate of investment, it would take more than a century to deploy the required investment in more young markets like Italy, while the largest student markets, such as Germany and France, could see their funding increase from an average of€ 0.5 billion to € 7 billion needed to meet unmet demand. The continent is presently home to the biggest number of globally ranked universities, with 203universities among top 500 according to the 2024 QS World University Ranking. Considering the present scarcity of student housing in major cities and the enormous unrealized potential in nations like Italy and Germany, resolving the supply and demand imbalance would open up a massive € 450 billion market expansion opportunity, with PBSA playing a critical role.

For each student bed on campus, there are typically three applications in Ireland. Students are compelled to enter the private market if they are unable to get a spot. Available places for rent in France for international students have dropped by50% in 2024, when compared to 2023.

Without having to worry about finding reasonably priced housing on or close to campus, international students already have sufficient to worry about. Poor menta lhealth is closely linked to housing strain, which means that impacted students must focus on other things besides their studies. In severe situations, students may leave school due to housing problems.