Market Analysis
Housing market and university city
175,917 students in Berlin: What the record means for the housing market
Berlin counted over 175,000 students in the 2015/16 winter semester. More than half came from outside the city, competing for roughly 76,000 one-room apartments.
Peter Guthmann
Berlin is Germany's largest university city. According to the Statistical Office of Berlin-Brandenburg, exactly 175,917 students were enrolled in the 2015/16 winter semester, a 2.6 percent increase over the previous year. In addition to the four major universities (HU, FU, TU, UdK), the city has seven universities of applied sciences, four art academies, and numerous other institutions. Berlin invests over 1.7 billion euros annually in its higher education system.
More than half come from outside Berlin
Only about 39 percent of students obtained their university entrance qualification in Berlin. That means over 80,000 young people move to the capital for their studies and need somewhere to live. International students account for around 18 percent of the total. These newcomers enter a market already shaped by a high share of single-person households. About 54 percent of all Berlin households consist of one person. The city's roughly 76,000 one-room apartments are not even enough to cover demand from non-Berlin students alone.
Where demand is concentrated
Demand clusters around the major university locations. Mitte with Humboldt University and the Charite, as well as Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf with TU and UdK, are among the hotspots. But Wedding (Beuth University of Applied Sciences), Schoeneberg (HWR), and Lichtenberg (HTW) also generate local demand centers. Humboldt University ranked 57th worldwide in the Times Higher Education ranking.
Micro-apartments and investment properties
For property owners and investors, student housing is a stable segment. High demand keeps vacancy rates low. Furnished micro-apartments match the needs of students who often stay only a few years. Given the continued rise in student numbers, demand for small apartments in Berlin near university locations is likely to remain strong.