Over 15,000 students queuing for student accommodation – Greater Oslo

– It is stressful not knowing what is happening. That’s what student Sofie Skogsletten Dalen says. She is queuing for student housing in Oslo and Lillestrøm. She thinks it’s stupid to have to use school time and free time to move. – I have not dared to touch the private market yet, because I have seen that many people struggle with it, says Dalen. She is one of 15,675 students waiting to get student accommodation in Norway. Oslo is the city with the most students in the housing queue. Together with Dalen, over 6,800 are on the waiting list. From reading room to dormitory In order to offer the students a roof over their heads, the student associations have come up with temporary solutions. In Oslo, students are offered dormitories until the start of their studies. – It is basically a reading room, which we are converting into a dormitory, says housing director at SiO, Henrik Graarud. The student association in Gjøvik, Ålesund and Trondheim has a somewhat different housing system. There, students must register on a stakeholder list. 2763 students are on this list. This is how many students are in the housing queue: Studentsamskipnaden SiO (Oslo and Lillestrøm): 6860 Studentsamskipnaden på Vestlandet (Vestland county): 3407 Studentsamskipnaden in Gjøvik, Ålesund and Trondheim: 1955 Norway’s arctic studentsamskipnaden: 804 Studentsamskipnaden in Agder: 654 Studentsamskipnaden in Stavanger: 600 Studentsamskipnaden in Ås: 584 The Student Association in Southeast Norway (Vestfold, Telemark and Buskerud): 383 The Student Association in Inlandet: 145 The Student Association in Molde: 139 Nord Student Association: 135 The Student Association in Indre Finnmark: 9 The Student Association in Volda: 0 The Student Association in Østfold: 0 The overview shows the number of students on the waiting list as of 1 August. Elias Agersborg and Max Olsson are house hunting in Oslo. They are willing to go to great lengths to get a roof over their heads. Photo: Anders Eidesvik / news Spinnville rental prices Leader of the Norwegian student organization, Kaja Ingdal Hovdenak, is not surprised that the queues are as long as they are. She refers to “crazy” rental prices on the private market and an acute housing shortage in the big cities. – It is a social responsibility to build more student housing. The politicians must take a greater share of the responsibility, she says and adds: – That it is necessary at all is a result of the fact that over several years too few student housing has been built. Leader of the Norwegian Student Organization, Kaja Ingdal Hovdenak, believes it is a social responsibility to build more student housing. Photo: Jonas Been Henriksen / Jonas Been Henriksen Things often get sorted out in the autumn Despite long queues before the start of studies, it has been shown in previous years that things get sorted out for most students eventually. It will do that this year as well, believes the leader of the joint venture council, Rita Lystad. – Yes, there are opportunities in the private sector, and there are some changes at the student associations, she says. Lystad reminds the students that they must keep in touch with their place of learning beyond the autumn, and check whether there will be available accommodation. Rita Lystad, leader of the co-operation council, believes that the housing shortage for students will be solved in the autumn. Photo: Daniel Hong Hansen 3,400 dormitories under construction From 1 May to 1 August, 17,389 students have received student housing. That’s nine more than the record from last year. Research and Higher Education Minister Oddmund Hoel is pleased to see that the figures are slightly better than before. He sees that it is still not enough. Hoel believes it is crucial to quickly build more student accommodation. – In recent years, several associations have not been able to build the homes they have received money for. Therefore, they have made it possible for the cooperatives to apply for more money. It has had a good effect, he believes. – We now have record activity in the construction of student housing, with over 3,400 dormitory units under construction, he says. Research and Higher Education Minister Oddmund Hoel handed out ice cream to students at UiO before the summer holidays. Photo: Ragnhild Vartdal / news Published 02.08.2024, at 11.04 Updated 02.08.2024, at 11.30 am



ttn-69