Norway's student housing queue hits 17,000 as government vows 3,000 new homes yearly

Just before the start of the academic year, 17,105 Norwegian students are waiting for student accommodation, an increase of 921 from the previous year. Over the summer, 18,430 students received housing offers, a record number, with the longest queues in Oslo, Bergen, Trondheim, Tromsø, Ås and Stavanger.

The government, represented by Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre and Research and Higher Education Minister Sigrun Aasland, reaffirmed its target of building an average of 3,000 student homes per year. Aasland stressed the need for more affordable student housing, faster building permits and the release of municipal land for construction.

The Norwegian Student Organisation (NSO) leader Eva Franko Aas called the shortage a crisis, noting that more than 13,700 homes are still needed for one in five students to have a student residence. Opposition MP Tom Staahle (FrP) blamed government policy for the high rents and limited supply, while other parties urged the use of land reserves held by Statsbygg and BaneNor.