Berlin, 30 September 2026. The German National Association for Student Affairs (Deutsches Studierendenwerk – DSW) regards the “MLP Student Housing Report 2026”, published today, as further evidence of the urgent need to create additional affordable housing for students. The DSW is calling for the planned increase in the BAföG housing allowance to be implemented consistently and for the expansion of affordable student housing to receive reliable, long-term funding.
The report shows that quality-adjusted rents for student housing rose by an average of 2.6% in the first half of 2026 compared with the same period of the previous year. Small apartments of less than 40 square metres saw a particularly sharp increase of 3.5%. At the 38 university locations examined, a model 30-square-metre apartment now costs an average of €567 per month, while a model room in a shared apartment costs €513. Even after the planned increase in the BAföG housing allowance to €440 for the 2027 summer semester, the allowance will be sufficient to cover the calculated cost of the model apartment in only three of the cities examined.
Matthias Anbuhl, Chair of the Executive Board of the German National Association for Student Affairs, comments:
“We are facing the risk of a new form of social selection. It is no longer simply talent and academic interest that determine which university someone can attend, but whether they can actually afford the rent in that city. This effectively undermines equal access to education. Two-thirds of student households are now considered overburdened by housing costs. On average, students have to spend more than half of their disposable income on housing. That is an enormous financial burden.
The imbalance is particularly evident when it comes to BAföG. The average rent of €513 for a room in a shared apartment, as calculated in the Student Housing Report, stands in contrast to the current BAföG housing allowance of €380. Even with the increase to €440 from the 2027 summer semester, as provided for in the 30th BAföG amendment, the allowance will still fall significantly short of actual housing costs.
The amendment is urgently needed. At the same time, however, we must expand the supply of student housing. The private housing market alone will not be able to solve this problem. In addition to more adequate BAföG support, we therefore need a permanent expansion of publicly funded student housing.
The joint federal and state programme ‘Junges Wohnen’ (‘Housing for Young People’) has the potential to be a game changer. Doubling federal funding from 2027 is a first step towards initiating the necessary decade of construction and renovation. To achieve this, ‘Junges Wohnen’ must receive reliable long-term funding and be implemented decisively by the federal states.”
The Student Housing Report is available at:
mlp-se.de/presse/studentenwohnreport/
This press release is available online at:
www.studierendenwerke.de/presse/pressemitteilungen/pressemitteilung/mlp-studentenwohnreport-2026-wohnen-bleibt-kostenrisiko-fuer-studierende