Norway’s student housing waiting list still includes 17,105 people just ten days before the start of the academic year, despite a record number of students receiving accommodation during the summer. The number waiting for a room has increased by 921 compared with the same period in 2025, according to figures published by the Council of Student Welfare Organisations (Samskipnadsrådet).
At the same time, 18,430 students have been allocated student housing since the beginning of the summer, 316 more than at the same point last year. Rita Hirsum Lystad, chair of Samskipnadsrådet, said that the country’s student welfare organisations had never previously offered accommodation to so many students over the summer.
The figures illustrate the scale of demand facing Norway’s largest university cities as students prepare to begin the new semester.
Norway’s student housing queues are longest in Oslo and Bergen
Oslo has the largest local waiting list, with 5,638 students, followed by Bergen with 5,101 and Trondheim with 1,902. The queues also include 778 applicants in Tromsø, 635 in Ås and 620 in Stavanger.
The Student Welfare Organisation of Oslo and Akershus (Studentsamskipnaden SiO) reports a total of 5,887 applicants across Oslo and Lillestrøm. This is 311 fewer than last year.
Between May and August, SiO allocated 4,006 housing units, an increase of 342 from the same period in 2025. Its chief executive, Andreas Eskelund, said the organisation’s waiting lists had remained below the levels recorded in recent years.
SiO advises applicants to consider different locations and types of accommodation rather than limiting their search to a particular building or district. The organisation also offers temporary accommodation and discounted hotel rates to students arriving in Oslo without a permanent place to live.
Record allocations have not eliminated the shortage
Student housing in Norway is primarily managed by regional student welfare organisations, known as studentsamskipnader. These organisations provide accommodation and other services at rents that are generally intended to remain below those found in the private market.
The continuing queues come despite a recent acceleration in construction. According to the Norwegian government, 2,366 student housing units were completed in 2025, almost four times the number finished in 2024. More than 5,000 units were under construction or approaching the building phase at the end of the year.
In February, the government allocated NOK 1.3 billion (€110 million) to the construction and renovation of 2,000 student housing units in 2026. The largest allocations went to projects in Oslo and Bergen, where demand and rental pressure are particularly high.
The 2026 allocation is lower than the funding provided for approximately 3,000 units in 2025. The government said the temporary reduction reflected the limited number of additional projects that student welfare organisations could begin while construction activity was already at a high level.
Housing costs shape access to higher education
Minister for Research and Higher Education (forsknings- og høyere utdanningsminister) Sigrun Aasland said housing is the largest individual expense for most students.
“One of the most important measures we can take to improve students’ finances is therefore to build more affordable student housing,” she said, as reported by VG.
Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said the government aims to build an average of 3,000 student homes a year. However, ministers have also stressed that national funding is only part of the process. Municipalities must make suitable land available and process planning and building applications before projects can proceed.
The government estimates that students account for around 20 percent of tenants in Norway’s rental market. Increasing the supply of dedicated student accommodation could therefore reduce competition not only among students but also across the wider private rental sector.
The latest waiting-list figures show that record construction and allocation levels have not yet matched demand, particularly in Oslo, Bergen and Trondheim. With more than 17,000 applicants still waiting shortly before the semester begins, the availability of affordable housing remains an important factor in determining whether students can effectively access higher education in Norway.
