This year, Stockholm University accepted over 47,000 students, 2000 more than last year, setting a record for the university. Of those 47,000 students (both continuing and new), approximately 20,000 need student accommodation for this coming semester and beyond. But when Stockholm only has 12,000 student rooms and apartments to offer, what do you do with the remaining 8000?

This is an issue that SSCO, Stockholms studentkårers centralorganisation (Stockholm Federation of Student Unions), is doing its best to work out. But its best certainly has its limits – how can you accommodate 8000 students, having such a lack of student housing, in just one month?

Many are turning to Sweden’s equivalent of Craig’s List, Blocket, as well as other web-based means to find accommodation in other people’s homes. And even then, there is no guarantee that one might find something, having 8000+ others to compete with.

According to SSCO, only 83 new student rooms and apartments were built in Stockholm last year. Because of this severe lack of housing, many might be forced to decline their acceptance into Stockholm University. SSCO’s leader, Martin Sahlin, believes that this will have a negative effect on Stockholm’s economy in the future, with fewer educated workers in the city. He also predicts that some, especially foreign students with no idea of how the accommodation market in Stockholm works, will be living in tents for extended periods of time.

As a partial solution, Stockholm politicians have promised around 4400 new student apartments by 2015, but SSCO doubts these claims. They do, however, expect to see a start on building new student accommodation by 2013-2014.

[Source: DN.se]