No Rooms
With the new academic year approaching, finding accommodation remains one of the biggest concerns for many students in Luxembourg.
Mattis Noël, president of the Association of Luxembourg Student Circles (ACEL), said the organisation is regularly contacted by both Luxembourgish and international students struggling to find affordable housing.
He underlined that the main problem is not simply high rents, but a lack of supply. Noël argued that increasing the number of available student homes would also help bring prices down by creating more competition.
The new student aid reform, approved by parliament in June, increased the mobility grant for students studying abroad, introduced partial reimbursement for language tests, and provided for the state grant to be indexed every semester. Interest on student loans has been capped at 1.8%, down from 2%, while students can now receive a completion bonus after finishing a study cycle.
ACEL remains broadly positive about the reform but continues to criticise the fact that students cannot receive the mobility grant if they live and study in the same country.
Overall, only 11% of Luxembourgish students pursue their studies in Luxembourg, while 89% go abroad. In absolute terms, around 4'200 study in Luxembourg, some 4'400 in Germany, and approximately 3'080 in Belgium.
Against that backdrop, ACEL is also following discussions around Belgium's planned motorway toll, although it has not yet adopted an official position.
89% leave the country to study, and those who stay can't find a room. The reform helps with money, but money doesn't build apartments.