Santa Cruz de Tenerife. The pressure on the University residences is multiplying at the beginning of the new academic year: more applications than available beds, rising rents per room, and centers that, at this point, are already close to being fully booked.
This scenario is repeated in several communities, with particular intensity in Canary Islands, Euskadi, Navarre and Extremadura, while projects to expand the offering are moving forward and more flexible student accommodation models are being explored to alleviate the shortage of places.
Canary Islands: more applications than places and impact on mobility
At the University of La Laguna, the demand for accommodation has grown steadily in recent years and today far exceeds the half thousand available places, with peak requests now reaching over a thousand. The institution has opened all possible rooms and is even speeding up construction work to ensure safety and habitability.
The University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria is also facing a difficult start to the school year: 979 applications for 460 places, with students from the Canary Islands, the Iberian Peninsula, and international communities competing for space. Some students are forced to resort to private rental housing, supported by family support and scholarships and grants from the island.
The mismatch has effects on the national and international mobility, with cases of students interrupting their academic plans due to being unable to secure stable accommodation in time. The ULPGC is negotiating with the regional administration to enable 100 new seats on the Tafira campus.
In addition, the ULL is holding talks with developers and entities to promote new residences and expand the offer to PhD students and researchers, a growing need among profiles that require long-term accommodations close to campus.
La Laguna plans two residences and more than 800 beds
The City Council of La Laguna and the University of La Laguna are finalizing a agreement with a private company to build two residences: one next to the Faculty of Journalism and another in the area of ​​Montaña del Drago, in San Miguel de Geneto.
Between the two, the forecast exceeds 800 beds for university useThe council emphasizes the dual function of these facilities: to offer more affordable alternatives to students who currently turn to the rental market and, at the same time, free up housing for the rest of the citizens in a tense island context.
From the ULL, with a learning community of over 20.000 people, it is recalled that the town's own parking spaces barely cover part of the demand and that strengthening the supply would provide structural relief for the municipality. The search for new floors for accommodation and social use remains open.
Donostia: full posters and changing habits
With the arrival of the course, many residences in the capital of Gipuzkoa they hang the full and are reporting earlier bookings. Stephouse has opened in Ibaeta, with 184 rooms (356 beds) and services such as a gym, swimming pool and leisure rooms, with prices between 500 and 900 euros by type. Management admits that demand has exceeded expectations for the first year.
Model flexible accommodation is also gaining ground. Livensa Living Studios, with 321 beds in studios with private kitchens and bathrooms, operates primarily with academic stays and options from one to twelve months. A standard stay starts at about 710 euros per month, with bills included and common areas; occupancy is above 90%.
Resa Manuel Agud Querol (Berio) offers 414 places intended exclusively for the student community and registers increases in demand and high renewals (over 60%). Depending on the format, the rates range from 400 to 700euros, with cleaning, study areas, gym and associated services.
Other operators such as The Social Hub report that minimum availability At this point in the season, they are often forced to stay longer or go to a hotel when there are no student beds. In the Gipuzkoa area, the Pedro Biteri y Arana Residence Hall (Arrasate) barely left any room. eight free places of the 154 available.
Looking at the short term, the EHU foresees a new residence in Berio with capacity for approximately 200 students, with the aim of alleviating pressure on accommodation in the city.
Extremadura: Public nursing homes at their limit and long waiting lists
In Extremadura, the residences managed by the Regional Government, provincial councils and town councils are located complete and the waiting list is approaching a thousand studentsThe high cost and scarcity of rentals is driving many young people to apply for these resources.
The municipal residence Julio Cienfuegos (Badajoz) has 60 apartments and sold out in July, with prices ranging from 205 and 411 eurosIn Cáceres, the university apartments (120 places) were also fully booked before August, the only ones on the campus itself next to the library.
The search for an apartment has become an uphill struggle: there are few owners willing to rent and it is not unusual for offer 350 euros per room unsuccessfully. In parallel, the residence lover (Badajoz Provincial Council), with 148 free places, received 347 applications and applies economic and academic criteria.
The Provincial Council of Cáceres manages the residence Charo Cordero (58 places), with high demand and co-financed prices: students pay from 150 to 290euros monthly according to type, plus VAT. In the four residences of the Extremadura joint (Juan XXIII, Mario Rosso de Luna, Diego Muñoz Torrero and Plasencia) there is also more demand than supply: public reference prices are around 425-460 euros with lodging and meals.
Foundations complete the map: the Rucab (CB Foundation, Badajoz) has 204 places with a waiting list of over a hundred and rates from 770-870 euros with full board, while the college Antonio Franco (Fundación Caja Extremadura, Cáceres) reaches 180 places with prices around 800 Euros. In total, the regional offer is around 1.400 places, with the private park contributing approximately 15% and most of them already occupied.
Pamplona: occupancy rates above 92% and preference for all-inclusive options
The capital of Navarre maintains the residences as first option for those who are starting their studies. Reservations for 2025-26 average more than 92% occupancy, driven by the difficulty in finding apartments at affordable prices.
En Camplus Pamplona (La Campana), the students are mostly Spanish: around 68% come from Navarre, the Basque Autonomous Community and La Rioja; 24% come from other autonomous regions and 8% are international students. Most prefer the complete pack (boarding, cleaning, activities), although a small group is maintained with use of a communal kitchen and greater flexibility.
The center has incorporated recent improvements in rooms, with microwave and refrigerator, and has expanded shared spaces to accommodate new study and living routines. The goal is to offer a service versatile and ad hoc to undergraduate, postgraduate and mobility profiles.
Home & Co, next to the UPNA, has very little availability and features a streamlined booking process that avoids the complex procedures of traditional rentals. It mainly welcomes Spanish students, but also young international professionals, with renewal rates reaching third and fourth years of stay.
The residences are finalizing details for the arrival of the new cohort, with special attention to the proximity to campus, services and schedules, decisive factors for families when securing a place.
New projects and sustainability: Cartagena, Córdoba, and Pozuelo
At the Polytechnic University of Cartagena, the Vice-Rectorate of Infrastructure insists on the need to expand seats and provide land or buildings for residential use. Among the options under study are a residence for 100 places in the Lake area and the recovery of a property with 160 places already built, awaiting possible transfers or agreements.
In Córdoba, the Urban Planning Department will grant a license to build a large residence in Rabanales 21, on a plot of 14.100 m². The project foresees around 400 rooms (about 30 doubles), with a first phase of 248 rooms that did not arrive in time for its initial planned opening and has seen deadlines adjusted.
In terms of sustainability, the complex Student Experience in Pozuelo It becomes the first university residence in Spain with double certification. BREEAM IS Excellent in Building and Management. The asset incorporates efficiency solutions (ventilated façade, low-consumption air conditioning, LED lighting and solar control), intelligent building management, photovoltaic self-consumption over 280.000 kWh/year, rainwater recovery and services that promote well-being (indoor pool, library, coworking, study and sports rooms).
The map of residences is being reconfigured at great speed: demand grows, administrations and universities are activating projects to add beds, and operators are adjusting their offerings toward more comprehensive, efficient, and campus-friendly models, with the challenge of facilitating access without increasing costs for students.