Accommodation concerns a large part of those who took part in a survey of students in Brussels.
The survey shows that 31.5% of respondents no longer live with their parents and are “cooping” (confined in a small space).
Among these, 60% of participants said they had difficulty finding accommodation with the level of rent being one of the main reasons.
At the same time, 75.4% of respondents are satisfied with their student accommodation.
The survey, “Panorama of student life”, surveyed 3,000 students and was conducted by “perspective.brussels” with the support of the Academic Centre and Brik.
It also found that almost three out of four students say they do not feel safe in the city.
This is an increase compared to the previous survey. Concerns are most acute about insecurity in the evening and at night and to a lesser extent, on public transport.
Students are generally satisfied with the urban experience during their studies, said the survey.
A spokesman said, “The survey allows us to better understand the assets and attractive points of the Brussels Region, but also what should be improved.”Over the last ten years, the number of registrations in higher education in the Brussels Region has increased by 22% to reach more than 137,000 registered during the 2023-2024 academic year.
Identifying the needs of this student population remains a significant challenge for what is the largest student city in the country.
The survey involved students from 49 higher education institutions located in the Brussels Region and follows a first survey carried out in 2014-2015 and a second in 2019-2020.
A varied sample of students responded, which, said the organisers, “provides an idea of the attractiveness of the Region and the experiences of the students themselves.”
Nearly 3,000 students completed an online questionnaire between November 2023 and March 2024. The average age of participants was 22 years and 65% of respondents did not live in Brussels before their studies. International students represented 22% of the sample and included 95 different nationalities.
The survey shows that students are satisfied with the city and the way they live there.
Mobility, life in the neighbourhood, sports infrastructure and cultural offerings are seen as positive.
But there are also some causes for concern including the search for accommodation which is sometimes difficult, the cost of living and a feeling of insecurity.
The educational training itself, its quality and the distance between campus and accommodation are cited, in that order, as the main reasons for choosing Brussels as a student city.
Furthermore, the survey shows that students also like living in Brussels: 67.2% of the panel say they are satisfied with their neighbourhood and some 55% of students want to continue living in the Region after their studies.
Three out of four students say they are satisfied with mobility in the city.
The survey found that students most often travel on foot (69.3%) and by public transport (63.9%). On the other hand, 82.5% of respondents never or rarely travel by bike with 46.7% considering it too dangerous.
In terms of leisure activities, the data collected shows encouraging results.
Indeed, 71.7% are satisfied with the sports infrastructure and 67.1% are satisfied with the cultural offering. The share of students who play a sport is 62.5%. As for cultural activities, 49.4% report participating in this type of activity.
Half of the people questioned have a job alongside their studies.
Compared to the previous edition of the survey, this represents an increase of 5 percentage points.
Some 60% of respondents indicate that they work for financial reasons.
However, student accommodation is a concern for a large number of those surveyed and almost three out of four students say they do not feel safe in the city.
Perspective.brussels is described as “the regional reference centre of expertise for regional and territorial development in Brussels”.
