In the student union dormitories, demand continues to significantly exceed supply, as a survey by the German Press Agency showed. Private shared rooms are often not an alternative because the average prices have risen enormously. So what to do?
Trend towards micro apartments
Privately operated student residences are a growing market. According to research by the market research company Savills from 2022, there were almost 74,000 private micro-apartments for students in the 30 largest university cities – and the trend is rising. Private providers provided around 46 percent of all residential places in these cities in 2021. However, more current figures are not available.
A provider of micro apartments is called “iLive”. The company, based in Aalen, has 19 locations nationwide – in Hesse in Frankfurt, Darmstadt and Offenbach. According to the company, the house on Frankfurt’s Adickesallee, which opened in 2024, is the largest micro-apartment complex for students in all of Europe with 1,020 rooms, as manager Daniel Kovac explains.
The “iLive” offers a lounge with bar, table football and cinema screen, several gardens with plants, a beach and hammocks, a football pitch on the roof and a chicken coop in the courtyard. Of course, this has its price: the smallest apartment (18 square meters) costs 865 euros, the largest (43 square meters) costs 1,230 euros. 400 rooms are publicly funded and are available for less than 400 euros.
Shared apartments are more expensive than ever
For those on a smaller budget, there are the student unions’ cheaper dormitories – but the supply far exceeds the demand. The Frankfurt Student Union, for example, is responsible for 70,000 students at eight universities in the Rhine-Main area and can only allocate 3,441 dormitory places.
Many people are therefore looking for a room in a shared apartment, but these are also expensive: shared rooms at German university locations cost an average of 489 euros per month, as the Moses Mendelssohn Institute announced. After Munich (790 euros), Frankfurt is the second most expensive place at 680 euros. While the national average of shared apartments only became 17 euros more expensive within a year, prices in Frankfurt rose by a whopping 50 euros.
WG-Speed dating in Kassel
In northern Hesse, the chances of getting a place in a dormitory are not that bad: more than 1,000 dormitory places are available in Kassel and Witzenhausen. If you can’t find what you’re looking for, you’ll receive good support in North Hesse.
The Kassel Student Union organizes a shared apartment speed dating for first-year students from outside: “At this event, we bring students into conversation with each other and present offers from our private online housing exchange that are suitable for shared apartments,” explains a spokeswoman.
There is a “Be-Welcome Door Opener Service” for foreign students in Kassel that helps them get in touch. “A student employee can handle phone calls for you and, if necessary, even accompany you to the on-site appointment.”
Studi-Hostel in Frankfurt
There is a particularly great housing shortage in the Rhine-Main area. This is due to the high prices, but also to the many universities: the Frankfurt Student Union is responsible for 70,000 students at eight universities. More than 3,000 are currently on the waiting list.
The Frankfurt Student Union wants to increase the number of places: a new dormitory with 435 places is currently being built in Wiesbaden, and a dormitory in Frankfurt is currently being completely renovated. “Numerous other projects are being examined or planned,” said a spokeswoman. “We plan to open a student hostel in Frankfurt in the winter semester, where students can temporarily stay for up to three months.”
Bed exchange in Frankfurt
“Far too few dormitory places, hardly any affordable apartments and shared rooms – the conditions for finding suitable apartments at the start of your studies are extremely poor,” knows the Frankfurt AStA – and came up with the idea of a “bed exchange”. Students without an apartment can find a short-term place to stay there, for example in a free shared bed or on a couch in the living room. “This is only possible for one night or for a longer period of time,” as the organizers explain.
Renovate, expand, build new
Many student residences are getting old. In many places, houses are currently being renovated. In the course of the renovation, there is often an expansion – for example in Marburg. The construction of new dormitories is of course still a necessity. “We have been quite active here in the last few years,” says a spokeswoman for the Marburg Student Union. Three new dormitories have opened in the city in recent years, and a fourth is planned.
