Around 56,000 students have been accepted before the start of the semester this autumn to the universities and colleges located in Stockholm County.
Last year, there were just under 100,000 students in Stockholm but only about 20,500 student housing, according to a report from Sweden’s united student unions. Viktorija Pesic, president of Stockholm’s student unions, sees the situation as serious.
– It creates a huge insecurity. Many students are forced to turn to an expensive second-hand market and Stockholm is already an expensive city to live in, says Viktorija Pesic.
One in four opts out of Stockholm University
According to a survey from Student housing companies and the Youth Barometer, 41% of the respondents chose Stockholm University as a university because of the lack of housing. Viktorija Pesic recognizes the numbers and says that many young people are forced to opt out of an education they dreamed of.
– It is extremely serious that Stockholm is losing out on students. To meet the need for skills supply in Stockholm and Sweden in general, the capital must deliver, says Viktorija Pesic.
Hear Jan Valeskog (S), urban planning councilor in the city of Stockholm, one of the municipalities in the county, answer why there is a lack of so many student housing, in the clip.