Universities: more than 33,000 new student accommodation places already completed, with Turin and Frosinone leading the way

2,375 beds in Turin, just six fewer in Frosinone: the two provinces are vying for the top spot in the rankings for new university accommodation already built using funds from the NRRP. The figure, released by the Ministry of Universities, provides an overview of the first phase of the housing plan: 33,412 beds distributed across the country, the number already available to students out of a total of 63,200 that are set to be completed by 2027.

Behind Turin and Frosinone, the ranking continues with Rome, which has 2,058 beds, followed by Naples with 1,624 and Milan with 1,538. There, incidentally, the latest figures show a fall in demand for rentals, precisely because of the growth in student accommodation.

The top ten provinces also include Catania, with 1,413 beds, and Caserta, with 1,358, confirming the focus on Southern Italy: within the overall framework of the NRRP, at least 40 per cent of the funded beds are allocated to the southern regions. Rounding off the top ten are Padua, with 1,008 beds, and L’Aquila, with 999, just ahead of Ferrara, which has 881.

Apart from the top-ranked cities, the geographical distribution reveals a second group of medium-sized university towns with between 400 and 800 student beds: these include Rimini (793), Catanzaro (772), Verona (745), Perugia (694) and Cosenza (659). Further down the rankings, most provinces have more modest figures: these include Bologna, with 326 beds, and Florence, which, with just 98, ranks among the lowest in the national rankings despite being one of the cities with the highest rents in Italia.

The figures reflect only the part of the plan that is already operational. The additional 30,000 or so beds, for which Cassa Depositi e Prestiti has finalised the signing of the binding agreements, will become available in 2027, with the same access criteria as those currently in place for the 33,412 beds: at least 30 per cent allocated via the ‘right to education’ ranking lists, with the remainder available at rates at least 15 per cent below average market rates.