Uni Students Need More Housing, As Randwick Proposal Offers Some Relief

University students across Sydney are in need of affordable housing – and one major proposal offers a drop in the bucket.

A 15-storey mixed-use development, which would provide 104 dwellings, is envisioned for 16-24 Belmore Road in Randwick. Whilst it would not be mandated as student housing, its progenitors believe that the units would be attractive to students at the nearby University of New South Wales.

An additional potential benefit for students is that 15 percent of the dwellings – 16 in total – are proposed to be designated as affordable for the first 15 years.

A raft of housing developments are at various stages of planning or construction across Sydney, spurred by changes to planning rules. However, the need for affordable student accommodation is a unique issue. Private companies specialising in this lucrative section of the market have become major providers of available stock and have developed new sites in recent years.

However, students are paying substantially more in rent than they were at the start of the 2020s, even to live in dormitories which exist exclusively for them.

University calls for reform to planning laws

In a similar case near the University of Sydney, the Minns Government in February pledged to redevelop an empty plot of land in Camperdown to build 500 units.

However, accommodation specifically for students is vital. Student housing not only provides them with options near to or on campus, but also tends to be more affordable than units offered on the general market.

Nicole Gower, Vice President (Operations) at the University of Sydney, said that it is “vital our students can access safe and affordable accommodation near campus, and we’re very concerned by current ongoing housing challenges.”

Gower said that the university has invested $220 million “on building affordable student housing since 2015, and are working to develop a range of further affordable accommodation projects on campus.”

She added that the university had appealed for university-run accommodation to be considered affordable housing under state planning laws. That “would make it easier for all NSW universities to fast-track student accommodation developments by providing planning control relief, density bonuses and exemptions from development contributions, and allow us to increase affordable local accommodation by at least 20 percent.”

“We’re keen to collaborate with providers, the sector and governments on new solutions to unlock housing opportunities for students.”

The university owns International House, a large art deco building on City Road which previously accommodated 200 students. Having sat abandoned sit 2020, it has become an object of curiosity. In 2023, an anonymous student newspaper correspondent broke in to photograph an interior full of personal effects and various amenities which had been left behind. The university says that the building is in dire need of repair, with funding needed.

Sydney University provides 3,577 beds, with a further 2,011 provided by affiliated residential colleges. Rent in 2025 for a dormitory starts at $360 per week, but not everyone can secure a spot.

Corporate providers for student accommodation have become prominent

Major companies specialising in student accommodation are responsible for a large portion of that which is available in Sydney. According to the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute, they are especially popular with international students, who helped to fuel their rise.

These corporate landlords are the subject of some criticism. In 2018, the institute found that such providers “do not always build a lot of new rental housing.”

It pointed to Germany, the United States and Ireland, where such housing providers “have recently been active mostly in acquiring existing properties and managing their portfolios through renovations, modifications and sales.”

New facilities have appeared in recent years, however, such as Scape Redfern.