Milan Student Housing: Supply Grows but Prices Soar
Milan, which accommodates 220,000 students, faces a critical lack of dedicated student housing, fulfilling merely 10-12% of its needs, in contrast to London's 30%. Currently, the city provides around 15,000 beds: 9,000 from universities and 6,000 from private entities. The Italian National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) seeks to add 60,000 new student beds by June 2028, yet only 11,000 are currently being constructed. Premium accommodations start at €1,300-1,500, while more affordable options fall between €600-700, with In-Domus offering beds for less than €500. Public university housing ranges from €250-450. Many residences are repurposed buildings, with exceptions like Sanaa's Bocconi campus (2019). Projects exceeding 300 beds attract private investment.
Key facts
- Milan has 220,000 students, 100,000 from outside the city.
- Only 10-12% of student housing demand is met by dedicated residences, vs 30% in London.
- PNRR originally targeted 60,000 new student beds by June 2026, deadline extended by two years.
- Only 11,000 beds were under construction a year ago.
- Milan's structured supply: 9,000 campus beds and 6,000 private residence beds.
- Premium residences cost €1,300-1,500 per month, with examples like Collegiate and Camplus.
- Affordable options include Aparto, Campus X, Joivy (€600-700), and In-Domus (under €500 for most).
- Public university housing costs €250-450 per month.
- Many residences are conversions, e.g., ex Consorzio agrario by Park studio for Aparto.
- New projects include SOM's Villaggio Olimpico (Campus X) and Humanitas campus by Filippo Taidelli.
- Notable architectural projects: Sanaa for Bocconi, Carmody Groarke with Sonia Calzoni for Savills, Piuarch for Fondazione Collegio delle Università Milanesi.
- Private investment viable only for projects over 300 beds with a share of expensive rooms.
Entities
Artists
- Filippo Taidelli
- Sonia Calzoni
- Carmody Groarke
- Sanaa
- Piuarch
Institutions
- Fondazione Cariplo
- In-Domus
- Collegiate
- Arlington
- Camplus
- Fondazione Ceur
- Aparto
- Hines
- Campus X
- Joivy
- Università Bocconi
- Politecnico di Milano
- Università degli Studi di Milano
- Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca
- Humanitas University
- Fondazione Collegio delle Università Milanesi
- Savills
- SOM
- Park studio
- Abitare
Locations
- Milan
- Italy
- Rome
- London
- Tokyo
- Paris
- Rozzano
Sources
- Abitare —