Only one in ten students in Canada have access to post-secondary residence beds.
As it stands, an estimated 1.2 million students are renting in communities outside of institutions and increasing rental prices for all Canadians, according to a Desjardins report published Tuesday.
“As the demand for higher education continues to grow, the availability of affordable and adequate student housing has not kept pace. This disparity poses significant challenges not only for students but also for the broader community,” reads the report.
The federal government recently implemented a two-year cap on international student permits following rampant fraud dating back to 2018, which is expected to reduce the approved permits by 35% from 2023.
In 1992/93, 1,355,451 students were enrolled in post-secondary institutions across the country, according to Statistics Canada. By 2021/22, the total number of students had increased 62% to 2,196,468.
Comparatively, the number of international students has increased by 886% between 1992/93 and 2021/22, rising from 40,620 to 400,521.
In 1992/93, international students accounted for only 3% of the total student population. By 2021/22, this had risen to 18.23% of the total student population.
The federal government proposed further regulations on international students following the critique of the added pressures from the over one million study permit holders last year, around triple the 352,205 in 2015 when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau took office.
Desjardins’ report said that most student dormitories have an occupancy rate close to 100%, suggesting that students enjoy living in residences. However, the report argued that the pace of construction for student accommodations has not kept pace.
The national average of student beds available is 10.3% in Canada, well below other developed countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, and France, at 30%, 27%, and 16%, respectively.
Even the community with the best proportion of available student beds can’t keep up. Waterloo, Ontario, has beds for about 35% of its enrollment numbers. However, the town reported that 63% of its students found it difficult to find housing, and 45% found their expenses were higher than expected.
The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation defines affordable housing as costing less than 30% of pre-tax income. The report revealed that this is more or less impossible to find in any of Canada’s major cities.
A 2023 study on Waterloo students showed that over 60% of respondents had to settle for accommodations that did not meet their needs. Almost half said they could not afford other necessities like food, utilities, and phones. Around 15% of students reported needing a food bank, and a small percentage said they were homeless.
The report concluded that addressing the shortage of student accommodations will ensure that students have access to safe, affordable, and adequate housing while also contributing to a more stable rental market.
Findings from Statistics Canada’s 2021 Census of Population showed that the number of international students living in unsuitable housing ranged from 25% to 63%, eclipsing the 13% to 45% of Canadian-born students aged 18 to 24 living in unsuitable housing — meaning a maximum of two people per bedroom.
“The student housing crisis is not just a student issue. It is a community, provincial, and national issue that requires collective action. Accelerating the construction of student housing can help achieve better outcomes for students and all Canadians,” concluded the report.
True North previously reported that housing affordability reached an all-time low in Canada in Apr. 2024.
A previous poll from Rentals.ca showed that 92% of Canadian renters had difficulty finding affordable housing. Only 4% said they hadn’t.