Waiting list with students increased: UGent is going to rent 100 student rooms in Bruges

By way of comparison: last year ‘only’ 800 students were on the waiting list for an affordable room.

The UGent housing department notices that the influx is higher. “Students who would otherwise not go to a room, now get that chance from their parents. Even those who already rented a room at Ghent University made a new application this year remarkably earlier than in previous years. still be able to participate in a normal student life.”

Housing market under pressure

Also 200 exchange students will not be able to get a room for the time being, compared to 150 last academic year. “Remarkably fewer students are hesitating between going to a room or commuting,” says Rector Rik Van de Walle about the problem. “Never before has the waiting list for affordable student housing at Ghent University grown so quickly.”

The situation forces the university to take far-reaching measures. Next academic year, Ghent University will rent about 100 student rooms in a building near Bruges station. “It is clear that the housing market in Ghent is under pressure, many students are staying in unregulated student housing, family homes or family apartments,” says Ghent University.

“No impact on Bruges students”

Both the City of Bruges and the housing service of Howest University of Applied Sciences indicate that this will have no impact for the Bruges students. “We have had a slight surplus on the housing market for years. A number of rooms remained empty here, and there is a shortage in Ghent,” says Alderman of Housing Franky Demon.

A new living campus will also open in Bruges in September, which can accommodate nearly 140 Vives students. This ensures that rooms on the private market remain free for other students.

International students

Renting the 100 student rooms in Bruges will initially provide extra capacity for international students. They are often in Ghent for a short period, which makes it more difficult to find suitable accommodation.

As a result, they are also more often the victims of ‘scamming’, whereby ‘haunted rooms’ are promoted.

Last year, Ghent University sent 32 international students to a hotel because there were not enough rooms. They received an attractive rate from the management of the Holiday Inn.

For international students who are looking for a room in Bruges, a problem may arise in the future. “We will have to monitor whether they will also find a room in the future. Many landlords often do not want to rent out for a short period,” says Howest’s housing department.

More students than rooms

The attractiveness of Ghent as a student city has been driving up prices on the housing market for years. Nearly 10,000 students do not rent a regular room today, but a family home, according to a recent study. There is also one student for every three inhabitants in Ghent.

Over the past twenty years, no fewer than 34,000 students have been added, while only 3,800 recognized student rooms have been added in that period. The rest of the amount was paid by the university.

Extra rooms in Ghent

The university is also committed to renting hundreds of rooms on the Ghent territory from 2024. The rooms that will be rented in Ghent from 2024 will receive, among other things, students who can no longer stay in the outdated homes during renovation works.

“The expansion of affordable student housing meets an urgent and explicit demand from our students and provides an answer to the growing shortage of student housing in the city,” said Rector Rik Van de Walle.