Increasing number of UBC students facing housing affordability issues

Students at Vancouver’s University of British Columbia have reported experiencing financial hardship due to the high cost of housing in Vancouver amidst a tight rental market.

A new report by UBC’s Alma Matter Society explored the state of student affordability. The 2022 AMS Academic Experience Survey Report highlighted issues and concerns that students have about tuition fees, debts, and textbook costs.

And the cost of housing is a growing concern for students.

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“The lack of an affordable housing market (both on-campus and off campus) and increased rent remains the top reason why students experience a lack of fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence,” said the report.

“More than half of undergraduate respondents (57%) expressed that they have experienced financial hardship related to the cost of housing, a 17% increase from 2021 (40%),” said the report.

🌟 SAVE THIS POST 🌟 Your 2022-23 AMS Academic & University Affairs team has compiled resources for emergency housing. Link: https://t.co/atRJVmSgwL pic.twitter.com/Uc3lZSBezn

— AMS UBC Student Union (@AMS_UBC) August 30, 2022

The affordability issues students are facing could even stop some students’ academic journeys full-stop.

Among graduate respondents, 31% reported that they think they might not “be able to come back to UBC at some point in the future due to financial reasons, an increase from 2021 (18%).”

In Vancouver, residents are spending about 40% of their income on rent, per a liv.rent report, as the average rent for unfurnished, one-bedroom units in Metro Vancouver climbed $71 in September, leading to a new yearly high of $2,247 a month.

Although housing appears to be a hot affordability concern, it’s far from the only one.

Textbook costs have reportedly soared, jumping from an average amount spent on them from $893 in 2021 to $1,253 in 2022.

Looming food insecurity is a concern for students, too, with two out of five students reporting being worried about running out of food in the past 12 months.

To learn more, you can see the full report, including information about student wellbeing and overall experience, online.

With files from Daily Hive staff.

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