The market for student residences | Germany

1.1 Scope of the study

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.