A growing number of university students in Quebec are choosing to live in private apartments instead of student housing, according to a new survey.
About 17,000 students from seven university cities across the province were polled by l’Utile, a non-profit organization dedicated to the development, study and promotion of student housing.
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Results show 60 per cent of university students stay off-campus, and many live with at least one roommate.
“There’s a total lack of affordable housing near campus or student housing,” Hanna Kaya, a McGill University student, told Global News.
“I’m working really hard to make ends meet and despite all that, I still can’t afford to have a cell phone, so it makes life really challenging.”
They spend about $500 a month for rent, with about 70 per cent paying more than 30 per cent of their income on rent and utilities.
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“It’s a unique reality in Quebec to have so many students renting homes on the private market,” said Laurent Levesque, a coordinator with l’Utile.
On the other hand, just 8.5 per cent of students live in dormitories or other types of student housing.
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There are about 220,000 student residences at the university level in Quebec.
“It’s too expensive to live in dormitories and for what you get, it’s not worth it as far as living conditions go,” said Sharon Yonan Renold, a Concordia University student.
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Yet, some argue there isn’t enough student housing available and the financial benefits of living in private apartments far outweigh those of living in a dorm.
L’Utile insists Quebec universities need to build more student housing and bring down the costs to make it affordable.
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