KU Leuven Plans to Add Over 700 Affordable Rooms at Zusters van De Jacht and Alma-COP Sites
The supply of student rooms in Leuven has been under pressure for some time. KU Leuven now has an agreement with De Zusters van De Jacht in Heverlee to purchase their monastery site and to furnish approximately 213 new, affordable student rooms in the buildings in the coming years. The Sisters will leave the buildings in different phases. Work will start in 2025, with the aim of putting the rooms into use in the 2027-2028 academic year. In addition, KU Leuven will build a new student residence on the Alma-COP site on Celestijnenlaan in Leuven by the autumn of 2027. In total, the university provides more than 700 affordable student rooms.
The site of De Zusters van De Jacht is located along the Naamsesteenweg in Heverlee, on the edge of the Heverleebos. It consists of several buildings. A U-shaped Main Building, originally from 1927 and a later built Pavilion. The Sisters will leave the Main Building in phases from March 2025. They will leave the Pavilion by 2033 at the latest.
The buildings are suitable for renovation into student residences. They are also less than 3 kilometers by bike from Campus Arenberg, and approximately 5 kilometers from the Leuven city center and Campus Gasthuisberg. In a maximum scenario, 213 basic rooms can be furnished in the Main Building, and another 70 rooms can be added in the Pavilion in the long term. The monastery complex is registered as architectural heritage, and of course the renovation will take this into account.
In addition, KU Leuven is also investing in a new student residence on the former site of Alma-COP (Central Storage and Production) on Celestijnenlaan. The residence will accommodate approximately 500 basic rooms and a dining and meeting area for students and employees.
Affordable student housing
With these new student residences, KU Leuven wants to resolutely opt for affordable rooms. For KU Leuven residences, the price varies between €236 and €610, depending on the type of residence, comfort and whether you qualify for a tailor-made rental price. The average price on the private market is currently between €496 and €670 per month, all-in, depending on comfort.
KU Leuven is able to keep the rental price so low thanks to an interest-free loan from the Flemish Government that wants to support the construction and renovation of affordable student housing by higher education institutions.
“These investments help us to maintain the supply of affordable student housing in Leuven,” explains Rector Luc Sels. “In this way we can create more than 700 new affordable rooms at strategically important locations such as the De Zusters sites. van De Jacht and Alma-COP. Minister Diependaele’s initiative to support these projects with interest-free loans underlines the joint commitment of the government and KU Leuven to ensure sufficient affordable and high-quality accommodation for students.”
General Manager Wim Desmet adds: “These new residences will not only meet the immediate needs of our students, but also play an important role in maintaining the affordability of student housing. We are grateful to the minister and the Flemish government for their support in realizing this important goal.”
“Students must find affordable housing in the cities,” says Minister Diependaele. “With this boost, we ensure that a serious effort is made in the affordable segment. We will now build 1,750 basic housing units in a first phase with 7 projects in Flanders. These projects are in the pipeline now that we have granted the loans for them. This is how we provide 1,750 students have the opportunity to have a high-quality room at an affordable rent. Rising interest rates also naturally pose financial challenges in housing construction in higher education. With this interest-free financing, we strengthen the financial strength of higher education institutions and enable them able to build and renovate basic housing.”