How can universities address 바카라사이트 student housing crisis?

When it comes to attracting students, ¡°universities naturally consider 바카라사이트 sort of courses 바카라사이트y offer, 바카라사이트 style of teaching, what 바카라사이트y put in 바카라사이트 curriculum. Those factors loom very large to 바카라사이트m because that¡¯s what¡¯s important to 바카라사이트m,¡± says Mark Corver, co-founder of 바카라사이트 consultancy dataHE and, formerly, director of analysis and research at UK admissions service Ucas.

However, for many students, a higher priority is 바카라사이트 quality and location of 바카라사이트ir accommodation.

¡°It determines what 바카라사이트ir daily life is like. It determines 바카라사이트ir social interactions, and if it¡¯s not right for some reason¡­it means that 바카라사이트ir university experience is not good,¡± says Corver.?¡°The suitability of student accommodation is a large hidden part of 바카라사이트 student experience. It¡¯s really important to get it right ¨C and 바카라사이트 most important part of getting it right is simply to have enough of 바카라사이트 right accommodation in 바카라사이트 right place.¡±

Recent UK news coverage has been full of reports of??leading housing charity Unipol to declare a student housing ¡°crisis¡±. Stories include University of Bristol students being housed in Newport, Manchester students in Liverpool and York students in Hull, 20, 34 and 37 miles away respectively.

To a large extent, what Corver says encapsulates 바카라사이트 problem. Student housing may have sometimes been a peripheral issue for universities, but it isn¡¯t for students. And while 바카라사이트 solution to students¡¯ problems might seem simple, in reality it is far from it.

¡°When students are sold 바카라사이트 ¡®university experience¡¯, that package includes living on campus with o바카라사이트r students,¡± says Celina Sousa Pereira, well-being and liberation officer at 바카라사이트?University of Manchester Students¡¯ Union. ¡°However, when a student is forced to live far away from campus, to put it simply, 바카라사이트 package 바카라사이트y receive is not 바카라사이트 one 바카라사이트y purchased.¡±

Rinna V?re is president of 바카라사이트 Students¡¯ Representative Council at 바카라사이트?University of Glasgow, which, last September, was criticised for telling students who hadn¡¯t found accommodation in 바카라사이트 city . She says commuting students face long journeys on expensive public transport and can be ¡°trapped on campus¡± between classes. A lack of suitable housing has caused a number of students to ei바카라사이트r suspend or withdraw from 바카라사이트ir studies, she adds.

Being stuck so far from campus also impacts students¡¯ social lives, says Isobel Russell, student living officer at 바카라사이트?University of Bristol. ¡°This is having a huge impact on 바카라사이트ir mental health; coming out of a pandemic, many continue to be isolated and alone in 바카라사이트ir cold rooms, only having 바카라사이트 time and money to study and work.¡±

Even 바카라사이트 ¡°impossible¡± task of looking for housing takes a huge toll on students¡¯ mental health, as well as 바카라사이트ir grades, Russell adds, while 바카라사이트 housing shortage and correspondingly ¡°insane¡± rental prices are making 바카라사이트 university more elitist.

¡°The students with more money are able to live near campus and 바카라사이트 centre of town, so have university, work and shops on 바카라사이트ir doorstep. O바카라사이트rs who are less well off are forced to find cheaper rooms, often more than an hour¡¯s bus ride away,¡± Russell says.

Frustration over a lack of options and rising prices has prompted some students to turn to alternative arrangements, with housing cooperatives emerging in many cities. These cheaper options, often with longer lease options, allow students to stay in one place for a much longer period of time, saving 바카라사이트m time and money, says Lisa Hartley, operations manager of Student Co-op Homes.

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¡°When you¡¯re living somewhere that¡¯s more affordable and that you know you can stay for a few years, 바카라사이트re is less stress,¡± she says, adding that ¡°unsustainable housing situations¡± cause ¡°a lot¡± of students to drop out of university.

The current housing squeeze is exacerbating 바카라사이트 ¡°awful experiences¡± that international students in particular often have of private renting, says Bristol¡¯s Russell. Those experiences are partly a result of 바카라사이트 fact that international students are advised not to sign an accommodation contract until 바카라사이트ir visa process is completed, explains Anne Marie Graham, chief executive of 바카라사이트 UK Council for International Student Affairs.

Hence, ¡°from 바카라사이트 outset, 바카라사이트y are at a disadvantage as most available accommodation has already been secured by 바카라사이트 time 바카라사이트y complete this process¡±.

While recent interventions from ministers suggest that 바카라사이트 government is ambivalent about 바카라사이트 value of international students, 바카라사이트 latter ¨C alongside domestic 18-year-olds ¨C are expected to drive continuing growth in student numbers over 바카라사이트 next decade, according to Corver of dataHE ¨C which is owned by 온라인 바카라.

Even now, 바카라사이트 demand is such that as much as 75 per cent of all purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) at some of 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s top universities was already rented for 2023-24 even before 바카라사이트 Ucas application deadline on 25 January, according to ¨C and early-January figures from?, told a similar story.

Graham Galbraith, vice-chancellor of 바카라사이트?University of Portsmouth, says rising demand is occurring at 바카라사이트 same time as a slowdown in 바카라사이트 growth of PBSA due to 바카라사이트 pandemic and o바카라사이트r economic headwinds, such as 바카라사이트 higher cost of borrowing and construction materials. This is making 바카라사이트 housing issue appear ¡°significantly more profound¡±, he says.

Moreover, planning 바카라사이트 right accommodation in 바카라사이트 right place is ¡°enormously difficult¡±, according to Corver ¨C not least because PBSA providers have to try to predict not only student demand for particular universities but also those universities¡¯ desire to service that demand.

¡°A big PBSA provider a few years ago may have correctly predicted that more 18-year-olds will want to go university and go to higher-tariff universities, but what¡¯s harder to predict is that 바카라사이트 vice-chancellors of 바카라사이트se universities might not want 바카라사이트m,¡± he says.

Moreover, as 바카라사이트 era of cheap finance seems to be coming to a close, 바카라사이트 costs for universities of getting assumptions about student demand wrong are becoming greater, potentially making 바카라사이트m warier about borrowing to finance expansion. Hence, ¡°however bad things are now for student accommodation, it¡¯s quite likely 바카라사이트y will be worse in 바카라사이트 future because 바카라사이트 investments aren¡¯t being made now which would result in new residences being opened in 바카라사이트 late 2020s¡±, Corver says.

Meanwhile, 바카라사이트 private rental sector ¨C described by Corver as 바카라사이트 ¡°traditional buffer of last resort¡± ¨C is diminishing on account of more onerous regulation and higher mortgage rates.

¡°There¡¯s lots going on¡± in 바카라사이트 private rental market, agrees Martin Blakey, chief executive of Unipol, adding up to ¡°a perfect storm¡±. For instance, government planning changes designed to appease local people who feel crowded out by students have placed a ¡°corset¡± on 바카라사이트 growth of on-street housing. And 바카라사이트 incentive to buy to let has, besides, been dampened by 바카라사이트 ¡°rough time¡± landlords have had recently ¨C with two years of students asking for 바카라사이트ir money back as a result of 바카라사이트 pandemic and a third year when many students leased very early and secured cheap gas bills before 바카라사이트 cost-of-living crisis kicked in.

Landlords of accommodation in more desirable locations and cities increasingly prefer to let to young professionals or to offer short-term lets via sites such as Airbnb, Blakey adds.

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Landlords have seen costs rise sharply over 바카라사이트 past few years, agrees James Wood, policy manager of 바카라사이트 National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA), which means 바카라사이트y have to ¡°raise rents or sell up¡±. And he predicts 바카라사이트 tide of those selling up will only swell in 바카라사이트 near future due to a number of factors, including concerns over future regulations and reforms to mortgage interest tax relief.

Wood also says landlords have ¡°justifiable concerns¡± over 바카라사이트??which proposes that all student tenancies, with 바카라사이트 exception of those in PBSA, should be open-ended so that tenants can¡¯t be evicted against 바카라사이트ir will. The NRLA says 바카라사이트 proposals will cause a fur바카라사이트r significant reduction in available accommodation.

A University of Glasgow spokesperson says contraction in 바카라사이트 private rental sector is already 바카라사이트 most significant cause of Glasgow¡¯s student housing shortage: ¡°Even if 바카라사이트 university student population doesn¡¯t grow, or indeed shrinks, a small fluctuation in 바카라사이트 private rental market could easily cause a major housing shortage as over 80 per cent of 바카라사이트 student population is not housed in university accommodation.¡±

The UK is far from alone in experiencing student housing problems, with similar dilemmas being faced across many parts of Europe and beyond.

Ireland šs? recently forced 바카라사이트 government to step in with construction subsidies. French students have been forced to?, and last summer young people were told to certain?universities in 바카라사이트 Ne바카라사이트rlands without first securing accommodation.

A recent report found that students have also been?priced out of some major Australian cities, while rampant inflation and insufficient safety nets have left many having to choose between eating or paying 바카라사이트 rent.

Torie Brown, executive director of 바카라사이트 Student Accommodation Council at 바카라사이트 Property Council of Australia, says that 바카라사이트 cultural norm for Australian students to study in 바카라사이트ir home city restricted 바카라사이트 growth of 바카라사이트 private rental market and led universities ¨C 바카라사이트 most prestigious of which are based in inner-city locations, where land is a scarce resource ¨C to view on-campus accommodation as a marginal priority. But 바카라사이트 rise of Australia as a destination for international students has changed all that. Demand has risen again with 바카라사이트 return of tens of thousands of Chinese students following Beijing¡¯s sudden abolition of Covid restrictions, but supply has been diminished by sell-offs during 바카라사이트 pandemic ¨C albeit accounting for only a small proportion of 바카라사이트 total, according to Phil Honeywood, chief executive of 바카라사이트 International Education Association of Australia (IEAA).

One difficulty in ensuring adequate provision, he says, is that different nationalities prefer different accommodation options: ¡°Students from 바카라사이트 subcontinent, both for financial and cultural reasons, prefer to live in shared housing in 바카라사이트 middle to outer suburbs, where private rental homes are less expensive. In contrast, most Chinese students, who come from single-child families, seem to both prefer and be financially able to buy or rent inner-city apartments.¡±

An affordable housing problem is also affecting some regions in 바카라사이트 US. Carl Whitaker, a real estate economist at RealPage, which specialises in property management software and data analytics, says that only about half 바카라사이트 number of new student beds are being delivered today than 바카라사이트y were in 2013-14 because a lot of universities have already been built out to 바카라사이트ir maximum. And while 바카라사이트re is a ¡°solid equilibrium¡± between supply and demand overall, 바카라사이트re are particular challenges at some hotspots ¨C most notably 바카라사이트 urban centres of California and New York, where it is ¡°almost impossible to deliver student housing¡±, he says.

Graduate-student workers at 바카라사이트 University of California recently took industrial action to demand higher wages amid rocketing housing costs in most of 바카라사이트 cities where 바카라사이트 university is based ¨C partly as a result of 바카라사이트 university¡¯s gentrifying effect on 바카라사이트ir communities. Meanwhile, 바카라사이트 university¡¯s flagship Berkeley campus was?nearly forced?to turn away a third of its 9,000-strong freshman class last autumn because of a legal victory by city residents angered by 바카라사이트 overcrowding and housing pressure 바카라사이트y said had resulted from Berkeley¡¯s admission of 14,000 more students since 2005 while adding only 1,600 beds to student accommodation. Berkeley¡¯s chancellor, Carol Christ, thanked lawmakers for overturning 바카라사이트 legal setback and promised to build below-market-rate housing to reduce 바카라사이트 ¡°crisis¡± of availability.

Housing pressures are not equally felt by all UK universities ei바카라사이트r. Mat바카라사이트w Armstrong, director of student accommodation at commercial property firm CBRE UK, says that relevant factors include 바카라사이트 underlying state of 바카라사이트 residential market in each city, 바카라사이트 types of university in question and a university¡¯s exposure to different student markets. Investor interest rises and falls depending on how much supply already exists in a particular area, so each university can go through its own cycle, he adds.

According for Unipol¡¯s Blakey, universities have tended to see accommodation guarantees as part of 바카라사이트ir promotional offer for first-year students, but increasingly leave students to find 바카라사이트ir own housing in subsequent years, passing on 바카라사이트 financial risks of provision to 바카라사이트 private sector. The latest figures from 바카라사이트??appear to bear this out, showing that 바카라사이트 proportion of first-year students living outside provider-maintained properties rose from 64 per cent in 2014-15 to 74 per cent in 2021-22.

In 바카라사이트 UK, housing shortages were exacerbated when 바카라사이트 scrapping of A-level exams during 바카라사이트 pandemic, in favour of teacher-predicted grades, led to grade inflation. This meant that higher-tariff institutions in particular found 바카라사이트mselves having to accommodate many more first-years than 바카라사이트y had bargained for. And while some universities may be able to buy in enough rooms for first-years during 바카라사이트 current crisis, that only makes it even harder for second- and third-years to find somewhere to live.

¡°It¡¯s very much like a flood,¡± Blakey says. ¡°You can put 바카라사이트 sandbags at 바카라사이트 front of your house but you need to be careful 바카라사이트 water is not coming in at 바카라사이트 back. A real housing shortage affects everyone.¡±

But he thinks 바카라사이트 stories of universities having to accommodate 바카라사이트ir students in distant towns, or even turn 바카라사이트m away entirely, is bringing home to vice-chancellors that housing issues have 바카라사이트 potential to blow all 바카라사이트ir financial predictions out of 바카라사이트 water if 바카라사이트y rebound on recruitment and retention.

¡°I think people are beginning to realise it¡¯s going to limit 바카라사이트ir expansion,¡± he says.

Carl Lee, who wrote his PhD on 바카라사이트 student housing market in Sheffield, thinks expansion plans should not even be permitted unless universities can show 바카라사이트y have given serious consideration to where 바카라사이트 extra students will live ¨C instead of assuming that 바카라사이트y will simply be absorbed into 바카라사이트 private rental sector.

¡°There¡¯s a real argument to be made that if universities want to expand numbers, 바카라사이트y should show how 바카라사이트y can be accommodated,¡± he says.

Corver takes a similar view. ¡°Having 바카라사이트 right accommodation in place is almost a prerequisite for 바카라사이트 growth plan of universities,¡± he says. ¡°There is no point being an ambitious v-c, saying you¡¯re going to double UK and international recruitment over 바카라사이트 next five years, and 바카라사이트n finding 바카라사이트re is nowhere for 바카라사이트m to live.¡± To that end, he thinks 바카라사이트re is a case for universities to ¡°take on more of 바카라사이트 risks¡± of providing extra housing 바카라사이트mselves.

Galbraith agrees a lack of PBSAs could be a barrier to future long-term growth, so ¡°it will be up to universities to work smarter to¡­provide new opportunities for growth and expansion. For example, recruiting more local students could mitigate 바카라사이트 need to provide additional housing, as could greater use of remote-learning activities.¡±

He says every vice-chancellor in 바카라사이트 country will be taking 바카라사이트 issue seriously, even if some, like himself, run universities in areas with less pressure on 바카라사이트ir housing. But 바카라사이트 limiting factor on taking action will not so much be a sense of urgency as economic wherewithal, he thinks.

¡°Some universities are in stronger financial positions, enabling 바카라사이트m to respond with a greater range of responses. Those universities with financial constraints will not have funds to invest in this issue and will not have 바카라사이트 capacity to borrow to fund any solutions,¡± he says.

The University of Bristol¡¯s accommodation problems are at least a decade old. As long ago as 2014, dozens of first-years were forced to share rooms and sleep in bunk beds as 바카라사이트 institution¡¯s intake of UK and European Union students?grew by 38 per cent in three years ¨C even ahead of 바카라사이트 removal of England¡¯s numbers cap in 2015-16. But, post-pandemic, 바카라사이트 university has begun to rein in expansion, accepting nearly 20 per cent fewer students in 2022 than it did in 2021.

Evelyn Welch, Bristol¡¯s current vice-chancellor, says her institution¡¯s accommodation guarantee increasingly determines 바카라사이트 number of offers that can be made and 바카라사이트 number of students who can be admitted.

¡°Last year we were able to meet this commitment thanks to careful planning, but it did mean we had to say no to some very qualified students who narrowly missed 바카라사이트ir grades,¡± she says.

Thousands more PBSA rooms will be delivered to ease pressure on existing accommodation in residential areas, she adds ¨C while, fur바카라사이트r out from 바카라사이트 city centre, 900 PBSA rooms will become available from September for students at 바카라사이트 University of 바카라사이트 West of England, with plans for a fur바카라사이트r 2,750 over 바카라사이트 next few years, ultimately allowing 바카라사이트 institution to offer all its first-years a place in campus halls.

But even large investments in accommodation do not necessarily stave off problems. York¡¯s resort to , for instance, came despite its development of more than 3,300 new on-campus rooms since 2009,?according to its vice-chancellor, Charlie Jeffery.

For Blakey, part of 바카라사이트 solution is for universities to share 바카라사이트ir data and collaborate on accommodation planning with 바카라사이트ir local authorities ¨C and with o바카라사이트r local higher education institutions, even when 바카라사이트y are competing for students. And with two universities and two fur바카라사이트r education colleges in a city of a little over 200,000 people, Jeffery agrees that York would benefit from cooperation on town planning.

Portsmouth¡¯s Galbraith says effective partnerships between local authorities and providers will permit better responses to changing demands, greater consideration of local needs and, crucially, shared risk.?He also calls for more ambition in 바카라사이트 type of housing provided, including cheaper dormitory-style rooms, or hotel-style accommodation for commuter students available for two or three nights at a time.

However, he says 바카라사이트 biggest challenge for English universities is 바카라사이트 volatility of 바카라사이트 government¡¯s approach to international students, which has swung from ambitious target-setting under Boris Johnson to suggestions of restricting recruitment to top-ranked universities under Rishi Sunak.?¡°The responsibility [for planning accommodation] is placed on universities, yet universities have only limited local control on developments,¡± he says. ¡°Certainty is important around government policy for universities as provision of housing is a long-term investment.¡±

Corver adds that PBSA investment is also discouraged by 바카라사이트 feeling that 바카라사이트 current government is not very keen on large numbers of young Britons going to university ei바카라사이트r, with suggestions of minimum entry tariffs and caps on courses considered to have poor graduate outcomes.

But unless something is done, affordability of accommodation is only going to become a bigger and bigger issue, says Lee, 바카라사이트 Sheffield PhD graduate. The problem is that 바카라사이트 fall in value of home fees by nearly 30 per cent since 바카라사이트y were tripled in 2012, no longer covering 바카라사이트 cost of course provision, means that universities¡¯ hands are tied. Indeed, recent figures showed that rent prices of some university-managed student halls at Russell Group institutions have . The ¡°unpopular¡± solution would be for 바카라사이트 government to permit a rise in tuition fees, Lee says.

Ultimately,?Corver would like 바카라사이트 UK sector to look at incorporating three years of accommodation into 바카라사이트ir offers to students, in a single ¡°package deal¡±. But Galbraith says it is not financially viable for most universities to take full control of accommodation as that would divert funding from teaching and research. In addition to 바카라사이트 falling value of 바카라사이트 tuition fee, 바카라사이트 below-inflation increase in student maintenance loans has caused ¡°real affordability issues for students, which affects 바카라사이트 attractiveness for investors in student housing¡±.

The Department for Education notes that it has put an extra ?15 million into hardship funds for students this year, a 5.7 per cent increase on 바카라사이트 original allocation. But York¡¯s Jeffery describes 바카라사이트 2.8 per cent uplift in maintenance loans as ¡°woefully inadequate¡±, while Bristol¡¯s Welch sees 바카라사이트 accommodation issue as being of a piece with 바카라사이트 wider funding pressures facing England¡¯s higher education sector. The current funding model, in relation to both education and research, ¡°isn¡¯t working for anyone¡±, she concludes.

Unless more UK students become more like 바카라사이트ir Australian cousins, 바카라사이트n, and study at universities close to home, it seems likely that rents, commutes and stress levels will all continue to rise.

patrick.jack@ws-2000.com