Suche
Mein Konto
Student housing in Brandenburg: Urgent bottlenecks at the start of the semester!
Students in Brandenburg will be struggling with an acute housing shortage and high rental prices in university towns in the 2023 winter semester.
Student housing in Brandenburg: Urgent bottlenecks at the start of the semester!
In Brandenburg, many students face serious challenges when it comes to finding accommodation. Thousands of young people started their studies in the winter semester, but the tense housing situation poses a significant problem. It is particularly difficult to find affordable accommodation in university towns like Potsdam. According to the responsible student union in Potsdam, there are massive bottlenecks: There has been a freeze on applications for apartments and shared rooms in the dormitories since the end of August, as more than 3,000 applications were received for only 1,000 available places.
The rents in the dormitories vary between 225 and 355 euros, depending on the facilities, and the free housing market often does not allow for cheaper options. Many students are forced to accept longer commute times to get to their universities. This is particularly problematic because good connections to public transport are of central importance to students.
Insufficient use of funds
An additional obstacle is the inadequate use of funding. Last year, the state of Brandenburg only used part of the money from the federal government's 500 million euro special “Young Living” program. The aim of this program is to create dormitory places for students and trainees, but according to the Brandenburg Ministry of Infrastructure, there were only a few applications ready for approval. Peter Heiß, managing director of the Studentenwerk West:Brandenburg, expressed concern that the 20 percent supply quota for housing for students, which was set out in the coalition agreement, is still a long way off. The rate in Brandenburg is currently around 16 percent, which is relatively good compared to the rest of the country.
There are still a few places available in the city of Brandenburg an der Havel, some of which are given to students who are studying in the state capital Potsdam, around 40 kilometers away, but have not been able to find affordable accommodation there. This situation could be further exacerbated by the high cost of living in Potsdam, which means that many university entrants have to join the queue for dormitory places.
Alternative housing solutions
The situation is also tense in Cottbus, where there are waiting lists for places in dormitories. In contrast, the offer in Frankfurt (Oder) has improved by 107 places due to the reopening of a renovated dormitory, which eases the situation there before the start of the semester. The student union there can offer a total of 3,757 places to live, which covers around 25 percent of the students.
The universities in Brandenburg are also calling for improved connections to local public transport, as this is crucial for the attractiveness of the study locations. The European University Viadrina in Frankfurt (Oder) emphasizes that reliable train connections and reliable timing of the RE1 are important. At the same time, the University of Potsdam, the largest university in the state with over 20,000 students, is demanding more living space and better rail connections.
The challenges facing students in Brandenburg clearly show the need for more commitment from authorities and political decision-makers. Fortunately, there are projects and initiatives to promote alternative forms of living and gradually improve the situation. However, without changes, the housing situation could continue to represent a major hurdle for future students.