Eindhoven Plans to Build 5,400 Student Homes Over the Next 8 Years
Eindhoven is partnering with two universities and two student housing organisations to tackle a shortage that is already causing hundreds of students to drop out before the academic year even begins.
Eindhoven has announced plans to build 5,400 new student homes over the next eight years, in what the Eindhoven University of Technology is calling one of the largest expansions of student housing in the Netherlands. Five parties signed a formal letter of intent on Thursday: the municipality, TU/e, Fontys Hogeschool, and housing organisations Vestide and SSH.
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Why this is needed
The shortage of student housing in Eindhoven currently stands at between 1,500 and 2,000 homes. Without action, that figure was projected to grow to 5,400 by 2033 as the city continues to attract more students and as ASML's expansion on the Brainport Industries Campus brings tens of thousands of additional workers and their families to the region.
The shortage has already had a direct impact on enrolment. Last September, around 500 TU/e students dropped out before the academic year had even started because they could not find a room.
Patrick Groothuis, vice-president of the TU/e board, said the city needs to be an attractive destination for talent if the Brainport tech region is to remain competitive. "Good housing is essential to attract and retain talent," he said, adding that student housing is directly linked to the future economic strength of the region.
Where the homes will be built
Several locations have already been identified. Projects currently in development include 1,000 student homes on the Dorgelolaan, 130 homes on the site of the former VGZ office building near Eindhoven Central station, 750 homes at the TU/e Hondsheuvels site, 500 on the Máxima terrain, between 250 and 400 on Sectie C, and 250 on the former Campina site now known as De Caai. Other locations still require further negotiation with landowners and local residents.
A significant portion of the new homes will be built on or near the campuses of TU/e and Fontys, keeping students close to where they study.
Where the money is coming from
Part of the funding for the construction comes from the Beethoven plan, a national investment programme of around 2.5 billion euros designed to support the Brainport region and keep companies like ASML anchored in the Netherlands. That same fund is also being used to improve transport connections to Eindhoven and to invest in technical education.
SSH, the national student housing foundation that is expanding into Eindhoven for the first time, aims to build a portfolio of around 2,000 student homes in the city as part of the agreement.
The bigger picture
The housing plan sits alongside ASML's recently approved expansion on the Brainport Industries Campus, which is expected to bring up to 20,000 additional ASML employees to the region over the coming years, on top of tens of thousands of supply chain jobs. The combination of more students and more workers arriving in Eindhoven makes solving the housing shortage a regional priority, not just a student welfare issue.
If the building targets are met, Eindhoven should have eliminated its student housing shortage within eight years.
