Some 13,000 students are stuck in a student housing queue ahead of the start of the academic year in Norway, according to figures reported by TV 2,
The longest queue is in Oslo, where nearly 7,000 students are waiting for student accommodation. Norway’s second-largest city, Bergen, has a student housing queue of 3,400.
In Stavanger, the figures are less stark, with 734 waiting for a place to live. However, SiS, a student organisation and housing provider in Stavanger, said tenants extending their contracts had reduced the number of vacant places for applicants.
Kristina Renberg, SiS’s marketing and communications manager, told TV 2 that this was likely due to the tight rental market in Stavanger.
In Tromsø, 1,070 have applied for student accommodation. Trondheim no longer has a student housing queue, but around 1,000 people are waiting to be notified when housing becomes available.
What’s being done about the housing queue?
The Student Association in Western Norway, a housing provider, has said there needs to be measures to allow the construction of more student housing.
“In order for us to be able to build more housing, we are dependent on the government taking the student housing investment seriously and increasing the subsidy,” Amalie Lunde, chairperson of the Student Association in Western Norway, said.
While the government has given permission to build more than 1,800 new student housing places, Lunde said that places needed to be more heavily subsidised by the government to keep rent affordable for students.
The Norwegian Arctic Student Welfare Organisation had entered into a partnership with Tromsø Lodge and Camping to offer students discounts on accommodation at the start of their studies.
Trondheim has set up rooms at local hotels and hostels as part of its “roof over your head” initiative. This offer is active between July 24th and September 1st.
In Oslo, more student housing has been built at Kringsjå and the managing director of housing provider and student housing organisation SiO, Andreas Eskelund, said that offers for student housing would continue being sent out over the summer.
“There will be movement in the queue, and I will continue to send out offers throughout the summer. We encourage the students to be active and keep their spirits up,” he said.
State Secretary of the Ministry of Education, Ivar B. Prestbakmo, said that measures on student housing would be presented in the state budget for 2025 in October.
In Bergen, temporary places have been set up in an administration space.
What international students need to know
International students are typically given priority in the housing queue, and many universities have a guarantee. However, international students who have yet to apply for student housing will have likely missed the deadline to be guaranteed a place or receive priority.
If you are concerned about finding a place in student accommodation, then most universities have an office aimed at helping international students. Getting in touch with them will help as they may be able to give recommendation or a curated list of options.
When renting privately, you will need to give yourself a good overview of the rules in Norway, such as rent, deposits, when the landlord can access the property, and contracts.
READ MORE: How to get student housing in Norway as an international student
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