With an influx of students after Covid-19, KU Leuven predicts that there will be issues providing housing for students in the future and expects to have some 4,000 housing shortfalls by the year 2026.
After the pandemic, KU Leuven has been attracting more international students and the number of students moving into student housing has also increased. The university and the city are currently looking for possible places for student rooms to be added, with the help of a project developer.
The university estimates that the city will have to look for housing accommodations for 4,000 students by 2026. The lack of student housing is not just an issue in Leuven, this is happening at universities in Antwerp, Ghent and Brussels as well.
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A Student Services Department member told VRT that she doubts this will be possible by 2026 and advises that students be creative about their housing arrangements. The department estimated the shortage based on the demographic growth of current 18-year-olds and the increasing number of international students.
The department suggests that motivating families to let a student stay if they have a room available could help mitigate the issue. The university is also looking to the Flemish government for a solution.
