South Africa's student accommodation crisis: high demand meets limited beds

Universities in South Africa receive significantly more accommodation applications than available on-campus bed spaces each year, thereby reflecting national demand pressures and strong academic needs.

For the 2026 academic year, the University of Johannesburg says it received close to 100,000 (99 472) student accommodation applications while its current on-campus bed capacity stands at 7 015 beds.

“As at 04 February 2026, a total of 6 312 students had been accepted for residence accommodation. By the end of the registration period, the University anticipates accommodating the full capacity of 7 015 students, in line with available on-campus beds,” says Dr Nell Ledwaba, senior director for Student Affairs at the University of Johannesburg. 

Describing its 2026 student accommodation situation as South Africa begins the 2026 tertiary academic year, Ledwaba says UJ continues to experience a high demand for student accommodation, which consistently exceeds the institution’s own bed capacity.

He says this trend is not unique to UJ and reflects broader national pressures within the higher education sector.

“To mitigate this challenge, UJ has strengthened its partnerships with accredited private student accommodation providers. Through these partnerships, the University can supplement its capacity by an additional 31 505 beds, over and above the 7 015 university-owned beds.” 

For the 2026 academic year, UJ residence fees range from R39 676.00 to R70 616.00 per annum. The cost of accommodation is said to be influenced by several factors, including the type of residence and room configuration(single or shared).

Nationally, the demand for student accommodation continues to outstrip university-owned capacity across the higher education sector. This remains a structural challenge, says Ledwaba.

“Going forward, sustainable solutions will increasingly rely on public-private partnerships, where universities collaborate with accredited private providers to supplement accommodation capacity, while ensuring affordability, safety, and quality standards for students.” 

This year, tens of thousands of students applied for university-managed accommodation, while the University of Pretoria (UP) has just over 8 000 on-campus residence beds, supplemented by accredited off-campus accommodation partners. As is standard practice, demand exceeds supply.

The number of those who started an application to UP for an undergraduate programme is about 340 000, says Lanché van Tonder, the manager for Residence Management and Student Life.

“Those who met some form of the application requirements are about 57 000. Those who are ranked based on academic merit and were made an admission offer are about 16 000. For undergraduate programmes, we have about 9 700 spaces available,” Van Tonder says. 

The institution says 21 998 first-year students applied for accommodation, and 2 563 first-year students were accepted for residence placement this year.

“A significant proportion of accepted first-year students have already been accommodated, either in university residences or accredited off-campus facilities. Placement remains a phased and ongoing process, closely linked to academic registration timelines.” 

Van Tonder says the student accommodation environment remains high-pressure but stable and actively managed.

Compared to previous years, UP says it has:

• Improved early placement processes,
• Strengthened off-campus accreditation partnerships,
• Enhanced communication and coordination between admissions, registration and residence placement.

While demand continues to outpace supply nationally, incremental operational improvements are evident in how placements are managed and supported, he says. 

The residence life manager says developing student accommodation is capital-intensive, highly regulated and long-term.

“It requires substantial funding, compliance with safety, zoning and municipal regulations, long planning and construction timelines. As a public institution, UP must balance financial sustainability, affordability and academic priorities, which means large-scale accommodation expansion cannot happen overnight.” 

Van Tonder told "Independent Media Property" that accommodation costs vary by residence type and offering. He says UP continuously works to contain costs while maintaining safe, functional and supportive living environments, within the realities of inflation and rising service costs.

“The 2026 residence accommodation rates have not yet been published. For context, undergraduate residence fees in 2025 ranged from approximately R61 500 to R84 800, depending on the residence type and services offered.

"Residence fees are influenced by a range of factors, including municipal costs such as water and electricity, food prices, salary and labour costs for maintenance and residence staff, and other operational and compliance-related expenses.

"The university seeks to balance affordability with the need to provide safe, well-maintained, and sustainable residence environments.”

UP says its experience reflects a broader national challenge. “Demand for student accommodation across South Africa continues to grow faster than supply.” 

The University of Cape Town (UCT) received applications for accommodation from about 11 000 eligible students (i.e first year students with firm academic offers as well as returning students), says Elijah Moholola, spokesperson at the Cape Town-based university. #

He says the university has approximately 8 700 beds available in both on-campus and leased off-campus residences. “This is an additional 500 beds compared to last year.” 

UCT says it is worth noting that the overall number of accommodation applications received is higher; the rest of the applications are immaterial, as those applicants did not meet the academic eligibility criteria.

“For 2026, the university is able to accommodate 79% of the eligible students who have applied for accommodation. UCT has an additional 500 beds compared to last year.” 

Asked how easy or difficult it is for an institution like UCT to invest in building or acquiring student accommodation, Moholola says that in over 10 years (since 2016), UCT has managed to increase student accommodation capacity by 31% through either building new residences or leasing off-campus accommodation.

He says that although the reality is that accommodation offered by or through UCT is limited, for 2026, the university can accommodate 79% of the eligible students.

“These students are housed either in UCT residences or leased off-campus residences. The rest of the students are assisted with finding accommodation in private off-campus residences, while others are Cape Town residents who stay in their own homes,” Moholola says. 

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