The case in summary Between 30 and 40 student housing in Mørkvedlia student park in Bodø are empty after the New Year. This has led to Studentinord starting a campaign where they offer a recruitment bonus of NOK 1,000 to students who recruit new residents. Managing director of Studentinord, Kristian Brunsvik Olsen, believes that financial challenges among students may be one of the reasons for the empty homes. Leader of the Norwegian Student Organization (NSO), Oline Sæther, believes that there are several factors that influence the housing situation for students. She still believes there is a great need to build more student accommodation. The summary is made by an AI service from OpenAi. The content is quality assured by news’s journalists before publication. For several years, politicians, people in academia and students themselves have talked about the need to build more student housing in Norway. Full waiting lists, tens of thousands in housing queues and gymnasiums filled with mattresses have almost become the norm before the start of studies. The same has been the case at Mørkvedlia student park in Bodø. The modern residences opened in 2018 and are the city’s most popular student residences. But now the situation has reversed. After the New Year, between 30 and 40 student homes are empty in Mørkvedlia. It has never happened before, according to Studentinord. The association has now taken a somewhat unconventional step to fill the homes. “Do you know someone who wants to move into Mørkvedlia? Get a fellow student to sign a lease before 1 March and get a gift card of NOK 1,000,” reads a text message from the association Studentord to residents of Mørkvedlia. Studentord entices with gift vouchers of NOK 1,000 for the university’s canteen. Photo: Screenshot In another message news has seen, students are offered free relocation assistance to recruit new residents. – Students less social than before Gard Grinde (21) studies human resource management at Nord University and lives at Mørkvedlia student park. He understands little of the fact that several neighboring homes are now empty. – Personally, I think it’s a bit strange. I feel very comfortable there and think it’s a good environment. Before I moved here, I always heard that it was full there and that you had to apply early to get a place. Gard Grinde thrives at Mørkvedlia student park. He is surprised that several homes are empty. Photo: Daniel Hong Hansen / news Grinde believes that more students are less social than before. Many people do not want to share a kitchen or bathroom with other people, he says. – I feel that there is a trend that people are a little more contained and restrained after corona. Before corona, the “blocks” were full and there was a lot of life there. People who have lived there for a long time say that now there is less social happening. He hopes the recruitment campaign for Studentinord will work. – They lose financially if the homes are empty. I hope people move in there. Tough financial priorities Studentord runs the student accommodation in Bodø. Mørkvedlia student park was built in 2018 and has since been Bodø’s most popular housing offer for students. Photo: Kari Skeie / news Kristian Brunsvik Olsen in Studentinord believes there are several reasons why students move out of the student accommodation. Economy and expensive time are one of the reasons, he believes. – What we see now is that the students have to make tougher financial priorities. They are much worse off than before. As a result, some have moved earlier from the dormitory to live at home while they write their master’s thesis. – The students are like everyone else. They have just as many needs, but they have much less resources and have to make much harder priorities than the rest of us, says CEO of Studentinord Kristian Brunsvik Olsen Photo: Daniel Hong Hansen / news In addition, Nord University has lost a lot of foreign students after the Storting in decided last year that all students from countries outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland must pay to study in Norway. Nord University expects to lose 20 million each year from the international students who do not come. It is not only in Bodø that student housing is empty. This overview shows how many student apartments are empty at some of the largest study centers in Norway. Prefer private dormitories Leader of the Norwegian Student Organization (NSO), Oline Sæther, also believes that part of the problem with empty student accommodation is due to foreign students dropping out. – Cheaper prices on the private rental market can also drive students away from student accommodation. The fact that people go home before the academic year is over is also an explanation. She clarifies that the housing situation in the large study cities in the country varies based on how many student homes there are, the offer on the private rental market and the number of students at the place of study. The NSO leader says that the queues from the autumn usually decrease during the year and that some students drop out during the year. Oline Sæther is a leader in the Norwegian Student Organization. She has not heard that other student associations have started recruitment campaigns. Photo: Skjalg Bøhmer Vold She says that last autumn there was a shortage of almost 15,000 student housing nationwide in order to reach the goal that one in five students will live outside the private rental market. The government has a target of building 3,000 homes a year, but has only managed a little over half. Sæther says that the reason for that is that construction costs have gone up, and asks the state to give extra support to the associations to build more student housing. – Rart Kristian Brunsvik Olsen in Studentinord says that the recruitment campaign has had quite a good effect. – It is important for us to inform the students that we have vacant accommodation in a place where it is usually full. Journalism student Lise Frithjofsen is stunned by the service awards from the association. – It’s a bit strange. I don’t think you should get money to recruit people to live somewhere. People should be recruited here because it is a good environment, and not because of money. Lise Frithjofsen is stunned by the recruitment awards from the association. Photo: Daniel Hong Hansen / news She lives privately, but wants to move into the student accommodation. – I am surprised that there is so much that is available. I applied for housing here before the start of my studies, and then it took a long time before I got an answer. So I rather found something on the private market. According to Studentinord’s website, student housing costs between NOK 5,250 and NOK 11,230 a month, depending on whether you rent a one-, two-, three- or four-room apartment.
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Student housing is empty – lures with NOK 1,000 recruitment bonus – news Nordland
