Joint initiative to increase accommodation supply for international students

The Municipality of Groningen, the University of Groningen, Hanze University of Applied Sciences, Lefier, Grobos, Contractus and the Groningen Student Union have joined forces to increase the supply of accommodation in Groningen for international students. The municipal workgroup Jongerenhuisvesting discussed the shortage of accommodation for international students last Thursday. It wants to ensure that new international students can find a room quickly at the start of the next academic year (2017/2018).

Groningen is an attractive study destination for a growing group of international students. Coupled with the closure and demolition of the Diaconessenhuis, this caused a shortage of student accommodation in the first weeks of the present academic year. This particularly affected international students, because it is often late in the day when they hear that they have a place in Groningen (for instance, because they need to earn qualifications or because of the application procedure). What is more, it is harder for this group to find its way around the private student housing market in the Netherlands.

Jongerenhuisvesting has made it a priority to achieve a permanent increase in the accommodation supply for international students. It has already been decided that the new site De Trefkoel, which will be completed in 2017 and provide 445 rooms and 20 studios, will be for the sole use of this group. Furthermore, the Frascati International Students House opened last year, providing accommodation for 210 students and PhD students. The participants in the joint initiative also expect that a new bill, which will be passed on 1 January 2017, will make it easier for housing associations (such as SSH) to realize building projects. In the short term they hope to intensify their collaboration and thus increase throughput in the housing market.