Scotland’s university housing crisis deepens as 26,000 students could be left without rooms

Thousands of students across Scotland are facing homelessness and the inability to access appropriate housing, according to a new report for the Cross-Party Group on Housing.

The report, co-authored by several institutions, including the University of Glasgow and the University of Stirling, highlights an alarming shortfall of student accommodation in major cities such as Glasgow, Edinburgh, and Dundee, pushing students into precarious housing situations.

It identifies a deficit of 13,852 bed spaces in Edinburgh, 6,093 in Glasgow, and 6,084 in Dundee, contributing to what has been termed a “severe” housing crisis for students.

This shortage has caused soaring rents, forcing university-goers into unaffordable private rentals or, in the worst case, leaving them without housing altogether.

Graham Simpson MSP, the convenor of the Scottish Parliament’s Cross-Party Group on Housing, urged the Scottish Government to act swiftly.

He said: “The Scottish Government declared a housing emergency earlier this year, but students are often left out of the conversation.”

He also outlined a series of recommendations for addressing the crisis, calling for more collaboration between universities, local authorities, and housing providers. He then emphasised the need for “more robust data on student accommodation, and the integration of student housing into local strategies.”

The report calls for “one-stop shops” in university cities to provide students with advice on affordable accommodation, which could ease the strain on local housing markets. The co-authors of the report, stressed that including student housing in local housing strategies is critical in preventing homelessness and addressing wider community impacts.

Dr. Gareth James, of the University of Glasgow-led UK Collaborative Centre for Housing Evidence (CaCHE) described the findings as stark.

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“This research reveals an imbalance between supply and demand in key university cities,” Dr. James said. “Key findings highlight the need for better data on student housing markets, particularly regarding affordability and availability in the private rental sector.”

An international student at the University of Glasgow, who wishes to remain anonymous, described their ongoing struggle to find housing. “I’ve been house-hopping in Glasgow since late June after my university accommodation application was rejected. It is now September, just days before the start of term, and I still haven’t secured stable housing,” the student told The Tab.

Lawrence Williams of Slurp Edinburgh emphasised the need for urgent reform, saying: “From hidden homelessness to unaffordable rents, students in Scotland face a range of housing issues that have long been overlooked by policy-makers and universities. This report is a promising first step towards recognising the crisis and identifying structural barriers to student housing security.”

However, he reiterated the urgency needed and bold measures necessary, such as rent controls, cooperative student housing, and guaranteed emergency accommodation for homeless students.

The crisis is also exacerbated by broader housing shortages in key cities. In Glasgow, for instance, the Local Housing Strategy Annual Review Report (2023-2024) revealed that as of March 2024, 47.5 per cent of social housing applicants had been waiting for over 12 months for accommodation, further limiting available housing for vulnerable populations, including students.

Without immediate government intervention, the housing crisis is expected to worsen, leaving students not only struggling to find stable accommodation but also at risk of homelessness, potentially jeopardising their education and well-being.

The Scottish Government has yet to respond directly to the report’s findings.

Featured image via Pixabay