One-Third of Hamburg Students Still Live at Home, Study Finds

A significant portion of students in Hamburg, nearly a third, still reside with their parents, according to a recent study by the Centrum für Hochschulentwicklung (CHE). The survey found that 32.2% of students in the Hanseatic city live at home, a situation often referred to as "Hotel Mama."

This figure is closely followed by students living in private rental apartments, which house 29.9% of the student population. Shared housing, known as "Wohngemeinschaft" (WG) or shared flats, is the third most common arrangement, with 20.6% of students opting for this lifestyle. Student dormitories accommodate 11.9% of students.

The study, which surveyed over 87,000 students nationwide across three winter semesters, also examined student mobility. It revealed that 59.7% of Hamburg students live in close proximity to their university, with only 5.0% commuting from distances greater than 50 kilometers.

Public transportation is the dominant mode of commuting for students in Hamburg, with 84.1% utilizing it to reach their institutions. This places Hamburg second only to Berlin (88.1%) in the country for public transport usage among students. While 13.6% use cars or motorcycles, a notable percentage also walk (24.2%) or cycle (20.9%) to their classes.