International Student Housing Crisis in Europe: Who Is Responsible?

From Germany to the Netherlands and Ireland, universities attract students whose biggest challenge may begin after admission: finding somewhere affordable to live.

From Germany to the Netherlands and Ireland, universities are attracting students into cities where affordable rooms are in short supply. Admission may be straightforward. Finding somewhere to live is another matter.

Utrecht University offers prospective exchange students advice that few families would expect to encounter after planning an international education.

If they have not secured accommodation before their studies begin, the university advises them to reconsider coming.

The warning appears on its official housing website. Students are responsible for finding their own accommodation, and the university’s limited reserved rooms are allocated through a lottery. Even students who qualify for the programme have no guarantee of a place.

It is an unusually candid acknowledgement of a problem extending well beyond the Netherlands.

Across Europe, universities promote international education, recruit students and participate in academic…