CHE survey: 27.9% of German students live with parents, but regional gaps are wide
A nationwide CHE survey of over 87,000 students finds 27.9% still live with their parents, while private flats and shared apartments are nearly as common. Regional differences are stark, from Saarland's 42.8% at home to Saxony's preference for solo renting.
National housing trends
The Centrum für Hochschulentwicklung (CHE) in Gütersloh surveyed more than 87,000 students across Germany over the past three winter semesters. The results, published on 16 July 2026, show that 27.9% of students live with their parents, a slight decline of 0.5 percentage points from the 2023 survey, breaking a years-long upward trend. Private rented flats are now almost equally common at 27.8% (up 1.3 points). Shared flats (Wohngemeinschaften) house 24.8% of students, down 1.4 points, while student dormitories account for 15.2%. The "Hotel Mama" remains the single most frequent arrangement, but the margin over private renting has shrunk to just 0.1 points.
- With parents
- 27.9 %
- Private flat
- 27.8 %
- Shared flat (WG)
- 24.8 %
- Student dormitory
- 15.2 %
Gender gap
Male students are considerably more likely to stay in the parental home: 32% do so, compared with under 24% of female students. The CHE data do not explain the disparity, but it is consistent across all federal states.
A country of regional extremes
National figures conceal sharp differences. Saarland has the highest share of students living with parents (42.8%), while Rhineland-Palatinate (32.8%) and North Rhine-Westphalia (32.5%) follow. At the opposite end, only 17.6% of Saxony's students live at home; instead, 31.2% rent a private flat, the most popular option there. Thuringia leads in shared living (33.2% in WGs), and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern tops private renting (46.7%). Dormitory use peaks in Brandenburg (25.1%), but its WG share is the lowest nationally (14.8%). In Lower Saxony, WGs are the most common form (almost one third), closely followed by private flats, while only about one fifth live with parents. Hesse shows a more balanced mix: 30.8% with parents, 26.2% in private flats, 25.3% in WGs, and 13.6% in dorms. In North Rhine-Westphalia, the WG share is just over 20%, well below the national 24.8%, and only 13.1% live in dormitories.
- Saarland
- 42.8 %
- Rhineland-Palatinate
- 32.8 %
- North Rhine-Westphalia
- 32.5 %
- Hesse
- 30.8 %
- Germany (national)
- 27.9 %
- Saxony
- 17.6 %
Distance to lecture hall
Overall, 63.2% of students live in the same city as their university, 30.4% commute up to 50 kilometres, and 6.4% travel farther. The CHE notes that students have moved slightly closer to campus since the last survey. The on-site rate ranges from 88.3% in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern to just 43.3% in Saarland. In North Rhine-Westphalia, only 58.3% live at the university location, well below the national average, while in Rhineland-Palatinate the figure is 56.9% and in Hesse 57.2%.
- At university location
- 63.2 %
- Up to 50 km
- 30.4 %
- More than 50 km
- 6.4 %
Commuting habits
Transport choices vary with housing patterns. In NRW, 31% of students regularly use a car or motorcycle to get to class, the second-highest rate after Rhineland-Palatinate (39.4%). Walking and cycling are less common in NRW than the national average, while public transport use is slightly higher. The CHE survey, covering three winter semesters, offers the most detailed state-level snapshot of student living and mobility in Germany.
