In Utrecht, the municipality, SSH, student tenants association BoKS, the MBO, HBO, and WO education sectors, and student interest group VIDIUS aim to make finding housing easier for students who face extra challenges, such as MBO students or students with disabilities. Additionally, work is underway on a system where a student seeking housing has an equal chance of getting a home with or without hospiteren (a selection process). The parties are also committed to building more non-independent units and addressing the large shortage of student housing. This is stated in a covenant signed today.
MBO
The focus of the Student Housing Covenant 2025-2030 is on better accessibility of student housing for all students. This includes students with disabilities and MBO students. Alderman Dennis de Vries (Housing and MBO) said: “In Utrecht, we are making significant progress towards equal status for MBO students. Student life itself is becoming increasingly accessible for MBO students; for example, they can participate in the UIT and play sports at Olympus. At the same time, we see that only 9% of MBO students in Utrecht live away from home, compared to a national average of 19%. I am pleased that with this covenant we endorse that equal access to student housing is essential for the emancipation of MBO students, and that all involved parties want to work to increase the Utrecht percentage. This includes better informing MBO students about the possibilities of living independently and looking at how student housing can be specifically allocated to MBO students.”
Hospiteren
Since last year, SSH has stopped using hospiteren in new complexes. This gives room seekers the choice to participate or not, making student housing accessible to a broader group. This approach is formalized in the covenant. SSH director Rob Donninger said: “We want to work towards a situation where a student seeking housing – based on their registration time – has roughly the same chance of getting a home with or without hospiteren. At the same time, we will investigate the effects of different allocation methods on social cohesion, livability, social safety in student houses, and the experiences of housing-seeking students.”
Addressing shortages
There are too few student homes to house all Utrecht students. This academic year, Utrecht has 67,500 HBO and WO students and 16,900 MBO students. Of all HBO and WO students, 53% live away from home; for MBO students, this is 9%. The current shortage of student housing is 4,400 units, excluding MBO student housing demand. The average registration time students need for housing at SSH is 46 months.
The covenant aims to help reduce the shortage. Concrete plans include the 2026 completion of High Five with 921 homes and HOTA with 250 homes. The fourth phase of Kwekerij is expected in 2029 with 470 new homes. Plans are also underway for 602 homes on Livingstonelaan and 600 homes on Archimedeslaan, expected in 2029 and 2030 respectively.
Why a covenant?
The current covenant expires at the end of this year. All parties – the municipality of Utrecht, SSH, UU, HU, HKU, MBO Utrecht, ROC Midden Nederland, VIDIUS, and BoKS – value the existing cooperation and want to continue it. The covenant ensures these parties meet frequently. This keeps good, accessible student housing high on the (political) agenda and includes the student voice in decision-making.
Help and contact Municipality of Utrecht
Visiting address
Stadsplateau 1
3521 AZ Utrecht
Postal address
Postbus 16200
3500 CE Utrecht
