Dutch-speaking Brussels students choose to live in Leuven

Many students at Dutch-speaking universities and colleges in Brussels prefer to live in Leuven, according to TV Brussel. At Odisee University College, more than one in three students who rent a student room do so in Leuven, while at the Luca School of Arts, one in five prefer to live in Leuven.

Brussels is the largest student city in the country, with about 86,000 students at its universities and colleges. For students at Dutch-speaking institutions, Leuven is the second-most popular city to live in outside of Brussels.

According to the report, students choose Leuven over Brussels for its more student-friendly atmosphere and the feeling that it is safer. The close proximity and train connections were also factors, as it takes only about 20 minutes to travel between the two cities.

Student service desk Brik pointed out to FM Brussel that a lot of students already studied and lived in Leuven before taking on an additional study in Brussels, so they stay in Leuven because they are used to it. “We actually think it’s positive that there are so many students who choose to study in Brussels,” said Kasper Demeulemeester of Brik.

Photo courtesy TVBrussel