With the advancement of the policy of expanding the enrollment of master's students in colleges and universities, the shortage of student accommodation resources has become increasingly prominent. Some well-known universities such as Peking University, Nanjing University and Fudan University have made it clear in the 2024 master's degree prospectus that some graduate students will not be able to get accommodation guarantees. This policy has aroused widespread attention and heated discussions from all walks of life, and the focus of the discussion is mainly on the rationality of the official announcement of this policy by universities.
It has been argued that graduate students who have completed their undergraduate studies should be able to live independently and therefore do not need to provide dormitories. However, there is also a view that students from financially disadvantaged families may not be able to continue their studies as a result, especially in first-tier cities such as Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, where accommodation is more prominent. Society presents two very different views on this issue.
On the one hand, proponents argue that graduate students should live independently, and argue that some students can apply for housing and should not adopt a "one-size-fits-all" approach. Opponents, on the other hand, say that graduate students are also students and need to bear the cost of accommodation. For students who are financially disadvantaged, this undoubtedly adds to the stress of life.
Researcher Chu Zhaohui pointed out that not providing accommodation is a normal phenomenon in the world. Universities in many countries do not provide accommodation for master's students, and even some countries do not provide accommodation for undergraduate students. However, in the current situation of Chinese universities, there are still many students who need accommodation services. Therefore, the fact that colleges and universities do not provide accommodation is undoubtedly a heavy blow to this group of students.
Despite this, some experts and scholars believe that judging from the experience of foreign universities, it is the future trend that domestic universities will no longer arrange dormitories for all graduate students. However, under the higher education system with Chinese characteristics, it is still necessary for public universities to adhere to the public welfare attribute and actively respond to public expectations, and to provide accommodation services for students.
In the short term, if on-campus dormitory resources are tight, colleges and universities should actively help students find off-campus accommodation resources, and arrange the most reasonable off-campus accommodation as much as possible. In recent years, many colleges and universities have been expanding new campuses or renovating old campuses, and with the expansion of campuses and the increase of accommodation resources, the shortage of student dormitories is expected to be alleviated.
At present, colleges and universities should inform students of the allocation of dormitories in advance in the enrollment brochure for master's students. Candidates can carefully consider the school and degree type they apply for according to their own financial conditions, and make a choice that suits their actual situation. Many colleges and universities do not explicitly provide dormitories