Accommodation close to the course location, preferably in Milan, but at a more affordable price. For 77.5% of students, the city of Milan remains the preferred destination, but 45% of students who rent privately consider it too expensive. These are the results of a survey carried out by Milano-Bicocca on the housing situation and needs of students, presented today, on University Day, during the seminar “L’emergenza abitativa degli studenti milanesi: un dialogo tra Università, studenti e territorio”.
The conference, opened by the Rector, Giovanna Iannantuoni, was attended by Alessandro Fermi (Councillor for Universities, Research and Innovation, Lombardy Region), Pierfrancesco Maran (Councillor for Housing and Neighbourhood Planning, Milan City Council) and Barbara Morandi, student (CNSU student representative), who took part in a dialogue on the institutional policies of universities on housing.
This was followed by a debate organised by the Tents in the Square movement and student representatives in national bodies. Finally, the conclusions of the day were entrusted to the representatives of the three milanese universities (Milano-Bicocca, Statale di Milano and Politecnico).
The research on the housing conditions of students at Milano-Bicocca was carried out by the research group at the Department of Sociology and Social Research, coordinated by Silvia Mugnano and composed of Igor Costarelli, Fabio Gaspani, Carola Giannotti Mura and Riccardo Ramello.
This survey is the first to offer a picture of the housing conditions and needs of students at Milano-Bicocca, through the analysis of data collected by means of a questionnaire - proposed between July and October 2023 - to which 19,401 students responded, more than 52 per cent of the University's student population, 59.5 per cent of whom were enrolled in years following the first.
Among the results, the territorial extent of the University's catchment area: stands out: the majority of the sample (47.5%) has its registered residence in a Lombardy province outside the metropolitan area of Milan. However, the city of Milan remains the most popular destination for students, with 77.5% of respondents indicating this.
Of those who would like to change their living situation, some 30 per cent cite the lack of comfort, while 16 per cent stress the excessive cost of renting. Among those who would like to change location, inconvenience to the course location is the main reason (68.9 per cent).
Another important fact to emerge from the survey is the still small number of students living in university residences: 6.3% of first year students who meet the minimum financial requirements for access to university accommodation under the Right to Study, and 2.7% of those enrolled in years after the first.
Finally, the questionnaire focused on students' needs with regard to the implementation of a housing support service dedicated to Milano-Bicocca students. Almost 60% of the respondents stressed the importance of such a service, and for half of them (50.83%) it should be concerned with mediating between supply and demand on the private market. Not forgetting, however, the creation of student residences, as 40 per cent of the students stressed.
"Facilitating every student's right to study is a primary task for a university that is attentive to the needs of its students," said Rector Giovanna Iannantuoni. "The Milano-Bicocca survey has clearly shown that this requires a strong alliance between universities, local authorities, regions and the State. Today's day of opening up the universities to the cities is a first step in this direction".