Studying in Bolzano or elsewhere in South Tyrol will soon no longer be a privilege reserved for the wealthiest families. Faced with soaring real estate prices that have driven the average cost of a room to between €450 and €700 per month, the regional parliament has decided to take action. Driven by the Green Party, a resolution aimed at establishing “fair prices” was officially adopted today.
Housing, a barrier to education
For Green Party MPs Zeno Oberkofler, Brigitte Foppa, and Madeleine Rohrer, the situation had become unbearable: the current rental market was acting as a social filter, excluding many young people from the university system.
Residence halls for students at fair prices
“The right to higher education must not depend on market forces,” insisted Zeno Oberkofler, the main signatory of the motion. “It requires public instruments to guarantee affordable housing.”
A public compensation mechanism
The system adopted by the province is concrete: the regional government will intervene financially through a tendering process. Specifically, the province will subsidize the difference between the average market price and a capped rent. The objective is twofold: to immediately ease the financial burden on students and to exert downward pressure on the entire private rental market through competition.
First test at Siegesplatz
The new student residence at Siegesplatz will be the first to benefit from this measure. The state has officially committed to guaranteeing a rate of €360 for a single room, nearly half the price observed in some private sectors.
At the same time, the authorities are considering reinstating investment subsidies for residences managed by non-profit organizations, in order to ensure the long-term sustainability of this social housing option.
By adopting this resolution at the beginning of 2026, South Tyrol is sending a strong signal: the public sector is taking back control of the student housing sector to make the region attractive to all young people, not just an elite.
Key takeaways from the resolution (January 2026):
- Observation: Rooms priced between €450 and €700 per month are considered prohibitively expensive.
- Key measure: Provincial subsidy to cover the gap between the market price and the social housing rate.
- Specific target: A target rent of €360 (as exemplified by Siegesplatz). Scope: To guarantee access to education regardless of family income.
