Ah, the notorious time of the year when every student living in accommodation is shaking and aching to get their reapplication forms in for next year. Sadly, this isn’t due to how much fun they’ve had or how great the student accommodation facilities are. It is due to the fear that they will be left homeless and stressed in the current housing crisis. Through the hunger of skipping meals and the jitters of downing powdered coffee, the weight of deciding whether to save for that $100 acceptance fee or whatever bond fee there is for getting a typical mouldy rental share house runs circles through everyone’s heads. Student accommodation prices have been a constant issue with the University of Sydney. Having seen year after year of activism surrounding the issue, it is simply upsetting to see that there seems to be no sign of real change that will benefit the students.
As well as the jarring foreshadowing of having to save for these upfront costs, student accommodations across campus have increased their annual rent by 6-8% per week for 2025. USyd student accommodation prices increased 3.8% to align with the CPI. This means students are looking at paying a broad range of approximately $300 to $600 per week for USyd-run accommodations (this is not including Scape or Iglu, which are generally more expensive). Leading rental website, Real Estate AU, deems that the average price for a one bedroom unit/apartment in the suburbs around campus is $550 per week. It is shocking — yet not surprising — that this average is below the most expensive prices in student accommodation. At the prices students are paying for, they would be able to afford a quiet unit with their own bathroom, kitchen and bedroom. Instead, in exchange for some kind of propaganda university social life and lack-lustre security, they have to opt in for a building full of up to 800 students and skip their meals instead.
The real kicker of these increases is the intense and worrying differences in prices between single rooms and accessible rooms.
With higher rates for accessible rooms, which do not typically have more electrical appliances (just more space), it is appalling to see the unjust discrimination towards students with accessibility needs. At a University that preaches diversity, it is a shame to see a $60 disability tax per week, exploiting vulnerable students once again. The direct ableism of these price differences affects those who are more likely to be under financial stress due to workplace discrimination and other various barriers that may come up. To profit on such vulnerability is not unusual from our university management.
The University told Honi that students who have accessibility needs are not charged a higher price, however, this will likely change in 2025 due to a shift in the eligibility criteria. In a reply to an email enquiry that was sent by a student regarding next year (who has lived in an accessible room due to an invisible disability), the university stated: “Please note that accessible rooms are specifically designated for students with physical accessibility needs, such as those related to mobility and walking. We must clarify that psychologist certificates typically do not cover the criteria for accessible accommodations. If you have specific physical needs, please provide documentation that aligns with those requirements.”
Students who do not fit the eligibility criteria will either have to pay the increased rate or move to another room.
Through going through the student accommodation application process (the form, the FAQs, the website or the 2025 residential agreement), there is no explicit direction to the set of requirements for eligibility. These changes were also not communicated to students currently living in accessible rooms with invisible disabilities. There is no written confirmation that students with accessibility needs will not pay the accessibility tax on the application process, the price sheet or the residential agreement.
| Queen Mary Building | $360 per week |
| Regiment | $380 per week |
| Abercrombie | $495 per week |
| Darlington House | $322 per week |
| Queen Mary Building | $420 per week |
| Regiment | $441 per week |
| Abercrombie | $553 per week |
| Darlington House | $330 per week |
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Now, let’s take a look at the maths of it all. The majority of students in accommodation are international and are typically on a student visa, which have many limitations to the ways that they are able to live in Australia as an international student. One of these barriers is the fortnightly working hour cap.
Student Visa working hour limit = 48 hours per fortnight
We’ll split this up into 24 hours per week for simplicity.
24 x $22.70 = $544.80 per week
This is how much an international student would make per week on a minimum wage at 20 years old in Sydney — before tax. The average weekly household cost of living for a single person in Sydney is between $100 to $200 — this is based on necessities, not including medical bills or emergency money. With student accommodation prices being as high as they are, working students are cutting it fine for survival. Students have been told multiple times throughout the years that the University bases their accommodation prices on the current market, and lowers it accordingly. However, in the midst of a housing crisis, it is shameful and inhumane to compare student housing to the “normal” or “average” housing market. Students, especially international students, do not have the choice to have a full-time job without compromising their studies and health. Expecting students with limited time to work to be able to afford these prices and also be the “ideal” student that USyd preaches in the midst of a cost-of-living crisis is elitist, classist and out of touch.
Student accommodation should always be for the accessibility to students, not for major profits.
Some comments from students:
“As an international student who has historically had trouble getting a job in Sydney and who had no idea how to navigate housing outside the university when I moved here, student accommodation was the only accessible and understandable option to me, but the increasing fees on top of my high tuition and generally increasing cost of living cause me a lot of stress. I’ve alternatingly been late on rent or not been able to go shopping for a couple weeks many times over the past year due to the high cost of rent and struggling with budgeting for everything, which is quite paralysing and makes keeping up with my studies difficult.” – Wendy, SRC Queer Officer 2024
“I currently live in an accessible room at Regiment. Recently, I noticed the weekly rent has increased to $441, a $70 rise, which seems unreasonable. I reside in this room due to mental health challenges and ongoing therapy. I’m facing financial difficulties, struggling to cover rent, living expenses, and counselling fees. As I’m graduating in May, I don’t have the time to take on part-time work to support myself. I believe other residents in accessible rooms share similar concerns about the price hike. Many may have disabilities and face financial challenges that make it harder for them to earn money, making this increase especially burdensome.” – Anonymous former Regiment Renter
“I was already thinking of moving out of the Regiment, because I knew the next rent increase was going to be too expensive for me, and the facilities don’t really seem worth the price. Now, I definitely have to move out because they’ve begun charging an extra $60 for accessible rooms. I was very lucky to get an accessible room, but I’m surprised at the large price difference as the rooms are not that much bigger.” – Anonymous Accommodation Castaway
“A clear and substantial difference has been identified between the prices of accessible and standard student accommodations. These “accessible” rooms have little to no extra appliances, amenities or furnishings, they are merely a bigger room compared to the standard, and yet the university charges upwards of $60 or more per week for these rooms. Forcing students with accessibility issues to pay a premium to meet their accessibility requirements is an abuse of power for the sake of profit! This is another shameful case of the corporate university putting profits before people, charging as much as they feel they can get away with, rather than providing affordable or accessible housing to students who need it.” – Remy Lebreton, Member of the Disability Collective (DisCo)
“It’s shameful that once again the corporate university is raising fees for those living in student accommodation. While the University continues to make billions in profit, including from its ties to fossil fuel companies and weapons manufacturers abetting the genocide in Gaza, students are now being forced to pay up to $600 for accommodation on campus. We know that this will disproportionately affect regional and international students, who are also bearing the brunt of racist government policy in the form of the international student cap. The University needs to fully fund student accommodation on campus and ensure that all students have a safe and quality place to live.” – Gerard Buttigieg, SRC Welfare Officer 2024
University Response:
In response to questions about the affordability of student accommodation, a University spokesperson sent the following statement to Honi.
“We know the housing and rental market in Sydney is difficult, compounded by cost of living increases.
“We work hard to keep prices at our owned accommodation as low as possible and our weekly rents across the portfolio remain one of the most competitive in the market. We independently assess our rates each year to ensure they are at least 25 percent below the private comparable market while taking into account operating cost increases. Rents for 2025 will be increased equivalent to CPI only.
“Students can find out more about housing options on and off campus on our website – and any student who might need advice or support is encouraged to get in touch with our Accommodation Services team to see how we can help, including emergency accommodation and financial assistance for students who need it.”
