Student housing shortage intensifies in Granada, Sevilla and Málaga

Granada, Sevilla and Málaga are experiencing a sharp rise in student enrollment while the supply of university residences lags far behind. Spain as a whole needs more than 528,000 additional student‑housing places, with the current provision rate at only 8%, one of the lowest in Europe.

In Andalusia, searches for accommodation have jumped 22% in Málaga and 12% in Sevilla for the 2026/2027 academic year, and 44% of bookings are made as early as May to avoid summer competition. International students now make up about 11% of Spain’s university population, and the University of Granada alone welcomes over 6,000 foreign under‑graduates, master’s and doctoral candidates each year, all requiring immediate housing.

Operator Livensa Living, which runs more than 9,000 beds across the Iberian Peninsula, currently manages four student residences in the three cities, highlighting the structural and recurring nature of the demand‑supply gap.