The market for student residences in Germany

Student dormitories are an affordable and popular form of housing for students and usually offer good facilities, proximity to campus and university, and a wide range of social contact opportunities. Nationwide, the Studenten- und Studierendenwerke offer around 196,000places to live for about 2.5 million students[Deutsche Studierendenwerke, Statistisches Bundesamt].

Students from the first semester have a hard time finding housing. For this reason, dormitories are an important accommodation option for them, but as a result there are often long waiting lists at the start of the winter semester. Almost two-thirds of first-year students rate finding housing as difficult or very difficult. A quarter have to settle for a makeshift solution.

Foreign students are particularly dependent on affordable housing. For this reason, more than 40 percent of foreign students live in a dormitory. Their monthly budgets are on average a good 10 percent lower than those of German students, and they can afford the accommodation available at short notice because many come to Germany for a study stay of only one or two semesters.

In addition to simple student dormitories, there are special offers, for example

Student dormitories for people with disabilities

Dormitories for students with children

The global market for non-residential student and employee housing grew 10.5% from 2022 to 2023, but the war between Russia and Ukraine has hurt the chances of a global economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic in the short term. The student housing market is expected to increase at a compound annual growth rate of 7.9% through 2027[The Business research Company].

The following market study looks at current trends in the industry and examines the market structure and competitive landscape to provide insightful information.