The price increases of recent years have not spared student dormitories or rentals, making student housing a significant financial burden for two-thirds of university students and their families. Moreover, finding such housing is not easy at all; more than half of students have problems with it. One-third of all students still live in public student dormitories, but those who preferred renting an apartment are somewhat more satisfied. This emerged from a survey of 940 university students. The survey was conducted at the end of March 2024 by GTS Alive, which also issues and manages ISIC and ITIC student and teacher cards.
“The survey also showed that students most often pay between 3,500 and 7,000 crowns per month for housing. Half have the entire amount paid by their parents, just under 40 percent contribute more or less to these costs, and only about one in ten students pays for housing entirely on their own,” said Radek Schich, director of GTS Alive.
For example, a bed in a double room at the Prague dormitory Hvězda without a bathroom costs students just under 4,500 CZK per month today. However, a single room with a bathroom at the Prague dormitory Kajetánka costs 6,660 CZK. In Olomouc, at all dormitories of Palacký University with rooms arranged in a cell system, the cost is 3,500 CZK per bed in a double room per month. For rooms with shared bathrooms in the hallway, this amount is several hundred crowns less per month.
Shared bathrooms in the hallway, often shared by an entire floor, are a frequent subject of student criticism. One third of students live in such dormitories. Other critical comments include small and poorly equipped kitchens, cramped rooms with modest furnishings, mold in bathrooms, or the appearance of some dormitories reminiscent of the 1970s.
Other dormitories, however, are modernized and overall, it cannot be said that students are completely dissatisfied with dormitory accommodation. Less than 30 percent of students have a negative attitude; the rest are generally rather satisfied or even very satisfied. This is also contributed to by the fact that three quarters of students got their preferred dormitory. However, 45 percent of students still believe that the quality of housing in their dormitory does not fully correspond to the price.
The vast majority of students describe their dormitory room furnishings as old but functional. Only one in five student rooms has modern and functional furnishings.
Two-thirds of students live in a double room. Only about one in fourteen students can enjoy the privacy of a single room. The opposite extreme — a six-bed room — is even less common.
The romantic notions often associated with student dormitory life were not confirmed by the survey. More than half of the students say that student life in their dormitory is practically nonexistent and they hardly know each other even within the floor or neighboring rooms. Only just under one fifth describe student life in their dormitory as intense.
More than 40 percent of students, even more than in dormitories, live in rented apartments. In most cases, this is shared living with other students or with a partner. Eighty-five percent of students are satisfied with this form of housing. They like that they have more privacy and comfort compared to dormitories. Moreover, they say the price/performance ratio of dormitories is worse, yet they pay almost the same (or sometimes more) for a dormitory room than for a room in an apartment that is nicer, bigger, and more modern. Fifteen percent of students currently sharing an apartment wanted to live in a dormitory but did not get one.
However, living in a shared apartment is not just idyllic. According to students, there is a shortage of apartments suitable for student rentals in many cities, which drives prices up, whether in Prague or Zlín, for example. Up to six or more students have to live in one apartment to afford the rent.
Twelve percent of university students do not have to deal with the above problems because they live with their parents. Even better off are just under two percent of students — they live in their own apartment or house.
Notes for editors:
GTS Alive s.r.o. in the Czech Republic issues and manages ISIC student cards and ISIC Scholar pupil cards, ITIC teacher cards, and, to a lesser extent, other cards. The company was founded in August 2000. Its predecessor in the Czech Republic was GTS International. GTS Alive s.r.o. is part of the international GTS Alive Group, headquartered in Prague, with branches in seventeen countries on four continents.
GTS Alive, through the ISIC PORT chip identification system, also provides many elementary and secondary schools with secure access to their buildings and an electronic attendance system. The company also facilitates travel or accident insurance for students.
For more information, contact:
Jan Šimral, media representative of GTS Alive
Tel.: +420 737 944 370
E-mail: info@jansimral.com
