70 percent of students pay more than SEK 4.000 in rent, according to a new survey conducted by Novus on behalf of the Swedish National Union of Students (SFS).
It is more than 30 percent of the tuition fee, which is the limit of what is considered a reasonable rent for an individual student according to SFS. Every fourth student spends more than SEK 6.000 a month on their accommodation.
"There won't be much money left when the rent is paid," says Jacob Färnert, chairman of the Swedish National Union of Students (SFS). The housing shortage and high rents are one of the biggest obstacles to starting higher education.
A typical student spends 34% of their income on housing costs. This can be compared with the rest of the population, who spend approximately 20% of their income on housing.
"Students have disproportionately high housing costs," says Jacob Färnert. We believe that a better housing allowance is needed that is adapted to the students' situation.
59 percent of students state that their financial situation was good or very good in February 2024. This is a decrease of 7 points compared to autumn 2020 when the corresponding figure was 66 percent.
"It is gratifying that most students feel that the financial situation is good, but it is worrying that the trend is negative," says Jacob Färnert. In the fall of 2020 when we last did the survey, many people were worried because of the pandemic and it was difficult to find extra work. We had hoped it would be better now.
16 percent of students feel that the financial situation is bad or very bad. The corresponding figure for the rest of the population is 10 percent.
About the survey:
The survey has been carried out by Novus on behalf of the Swedish National Union of Students. The survey was conducted March 1-8 and contains questions about the financial situation in February. A total of 447 college/university students and a comparison group of 1033 individuals from the general public have been interviewed.
Every year, an automatic enumeration of the study aid is made. The survey is carried out after the enumeration has succeeded.
About SFS:
SFS is an association of student unions at Sweden's universities and colleges. SFS has about sixty member associations which together represent approximately 390 students and doctoral students.
SFS has the task of representing the interests of the members and students. SFS represents students with different conditions and from different educations, therefore SFS has a unique opportunity to speak for the student group as a whole. This means that SFS is regarded as an important interlocutor to the decision-makers who decide on matters relating to higher education and students, for example the Riksdag and the government.