“250 euros for a bed in a room with six bunk beds”, the Academic Association denounces the placement

A corridor turned into a room or six students living in one room are some of the reports that go to the Lisbon academic association, which says there are those who are considering giving up their studies because they cannot pay for rent.

“Landlords put six students in a room or use a hallway to make a room. There was a place where they asked for 250 euros for a bed in a room where they put six bunk beds,” said Lusa, president of the Academic Association of the University of Lisbon (AAUL), Afonso Garcia.

For an increasing number of students, the solution is to live on the outskirts of the capital, where housing is a little cheaper, “but not enough.” Afonso Garcia said that “many are considering dropping out of school because even in neighboring municipalities they cannot pay.”

The “shame” in exposing their situations leads to Afonso Garcia voicing “many things” that reach the association.

The University of Lisbon has about 52,000 students, almost half of whom come from abroad. “Houses are not for everyone, but only for 33% of displaced people,” complained Afonso Garcia, explaining that when requests for help are received, the association resorts to the help of the social services of the university.

On the other hand, Helder Semedo. He was once President of AAUL and now serves on the General Council of the University of Lisbon, with Social Action as one of his portfolios.

“There are not enough beds, and when the residence is full, we try to find additional accommodation,” Helder Semedo said, stressing that “there are many cases that don’t even make it to the university.”

Among these cases are students who cannot prove they are paying rent because “landlords don’t bill,” Afonso Garcia cited as an example, advocating the need for more checks.

“Without a lease agreement, students are helpless,” Helder Semedo confirmed, stressing that eviction situations for non-payment are “very specific.”

During the pandemic, when Helder Semedo was still head of the academic association, they identified “eleven cases of student insolvency.”

Afonso Garcia said the students are reluctant to tell their story, but the results are disappointing: “We know people who dropped out or decided to go to university in a city where housing is cheaper. The student is not studying at the university where I wanted it because of the housing prices.”

Students are going through a period of “sadness and shame at not being able to follow their dreams,” the AAUL president lamented.

At the first stage of the last competition for access to higher education, more than 10% of the placed students did not enter, there were more than five thousand students who at that time did not complete their enrollment in higher education institutions.

The reasons are unknown and may be related to not enrolling in the intended course, as well as family or financial problems.

The AAUL president says there will be cases where the cost of studying away from home will be a barrier, and recalled a 2022 study by the association that found “40% of students have already thought about dropping out.”

The lack of affordable housing is also felt in Porto, where, according to the President of the Academic Federation of Porto, more than 30% of the 70,000 students come from abroad.

Student associations “received several requests for help,” said Ana Gabriela Cabillas, who believes there is a “hidden reality.”

“Of course, there are cases that do not come to us because of the shame of asking for help,” he added.

According to the president of the FAP, it is becoming increasingly difficult for students to bear the costs because “the available budget of families is decreasing, and the cost of attending school is increasing.”

According to a survey conducted by the FAP late last year, about one in three students who pay rent admitted that these costs “represent a large financial cost.”

“The lack of community housing and the fact that many students are in the parallel rental market without a rental agreement or receipts explains why 18% of displaced students who had to seek housing in the rental market said they were already considering or considering leaving higher education,” the president said.

The lack of supply led the government to launch the National Higher Education Accommodation Plan (PNAES) in 2018, which called for doubling existing beds by 2026: displaced students.

Afonso Garcia criticized the “consecutive delays” by the PNAES and recalled that students “now need their own rooms”.

According to Afonso Garcia, “There are over 48,000 empty houses in Lisbon and some of them can be used by students.”