Studying and living on your own

Possible but not affordable? The current state of student housing in Germany.

verfasst von

Martina Kroher, Frederike Gerdes

Abstract

Since the beginning of 2023, rent prices have increased by more than 7% in Germany. A closer look at the German housing rent index from 1995 to 2022 reveals that rents have become increasingly unaffordable, especially in most major German cities. While many individuals in German cities are experiencing an ongoing rent increase and housing shortage, students are a particularly vulnerable group suffering from the high costs of renting. We use data from The Student Survey in Germany (2021), a representative database to describe their situation. As this data shows, rent is the most essential expenditure item for students, with an average rent of 410 euros per month, accounting for nearly half of their monthly expenditures. This average, however, hides the fact that about 20% of students have even higher monthly accommodation costs, paying over 500 euros. These higher rents may hinder specific student groups from studying, such as those without an academic family background, thereby reproducing social inequalities. These students might not be able to study at their desired higher education institutions, potentially leading to lower returns in future employment. Based on this, our contribution aims to evaluate the current housing situation of students in Germany with a particular focus on students without tertiary-educated parents.

Externe Organisation(en)

Deutsches Zentrum für Hochschul- und Wissenschaftsforschung (DZHW)

Typ

Artikel

Journal

Autonomie locali e servizi sociali

Band

2024

Seiten

371-404

Publikationsdatum

2024

Publikationsstatus

Veröffentlicht

Peer-reviewed

Ja

Ziele für nachhaltige Entwicklung

SDG 11 – Nachhaltige Städte und Gemeinschaften

Elektronische Version(en)

https://doi.org/10.1447/115241 (Zugang: Geschlossen)