Wednesday, 23 September 2026
Romania’s four largest university centres have almost 80,000 dedicated student accommodation beds serving more than 361,000 students, but private purpose-built student housing remains a small part of the market, according to Cushman & Wakefield Echinox. Bucharest, Cluj-Napoca, Iași and Timișoara together have 361,049 students and approximately 79,660 public and private beds, equivalent to around 4.5 students for every available bed. About 94% of the identified capacity is public accommodation, with private developments accounting for only 6%.
Bucharest has the largest student population and accommodation stock, with 187,677 students and 37,006 identified beds, including approximately 32,300 public and at least 4,700 privately developed places. This gives the capital around 5.1 students per bed and an accommodation provision rate of 19.7%. Private development is heavily concentrated in Bucharest, which accounts for close to 90% of the private beds identified across the four Romanian cities.
Provision is higher in the regional university centres. Iași has approximately 16,470 beds for 57,006 students, equivalent to around 3.5 students per bed and the highest provision rate of the four markets at 28.9%. Timișoara has 10,749 beds for 45,749 students, while Cluj-Napoca provides 15,435 beds for 70,617 students. Combined, Iași, Timișoara and Cluj-Napoca have more public student accommodation than Bucharest despite their smaller individual student populations.
“Two key features stand out when analyzing the Romanian student accommodation market: Iasi, Timisoara and Cluj-Napoca have a higher combined public student housing capacity than Bucharest, while the capital city accounts for almost 90% of the private beds quantified across the 4 cities. These figures show that opportunities for new private student housing must be assessed on a city-by-city basis. A higher supply of public student accommodation beds does not rule out demand for private accommodation offering a different standard. Student numbers and the student-to-bed ratios are only part of the equation. The quality of the existing stock, rental levels, location, access to public transport, services and alternative housing options are equally important when assessing each market,” said Vlad Săftoiu, Head of Research at Cushman & Wakefield Echinox.
Romania’s position differs considerably from Poland. The eight Polish university markets covered by the research have almost 897,000 students but only around 83,000 public and private beds, producing a ratio of approximately 10.8 students per bed. Private accommodation represents around 23% of the Polish stock analysed, compared with less than 10% in Romania. The Czech markets are closer to Romanian provision levels, with Prague recording around 4.6 students per bed and Brno approximately five.
Affordability provides another important distinction. Public university accommodation identified in Bucharest starts at around €50 per person per month and can reach approximately €80, while private accommodation ranges from above €100 to around €300. In Poland, average monthly costs are approximately €190 per person for public accommodation and around €550 for private facilities. These figures are not directly comparable, however, because room types, building quality, amenities and service levels vary substantially between individual properties and countries.
For investors, Romania’s student housing potential therefore cannot be assessed solely by comparing the number of students with available beds. Its principal university cities already have relatively extensive public accommodation compared with major Polish markets, but modern private supply remains limited and concentrated heavily in Bucharest. The potential for further PBSA development will depend on conditions in each city, including the quality of existing dormitories, conventional residential rents, location, transport connections and students’ willingness to pay for higher-standard accommodation.
