Due to the renovation of the Stjepan Radić Pavilion, some beds are unavailable, and students who didn't get a spot can receive a subsidy of 152 euros. Physical and electronic checks have been announced.
More than 6,000 students have secured accommodation in student dormitories in Zagreb, but due to the renovation of Pavilions 5 and 6 of the Stjepan Radić Student Dormitory, part of the capacity is currently unavailable. To ease the pressure, 906 subsidies for private accommodation have been provided, amounting to 152 euros per month.
Students who did not get a place on the provisional ranking list can file an appeal if they believe their points were not calculated correctly. Final results will be known after the appeals are processed, explained Vlado Levak, assistant director for student accommodation at the Student Center in Zagreb, in an interview with Danas.net.hr.
The reason for the reduced capacity is the major reconstruction of Pavilions 5 and 6 at the Stjepan Radić Dormitory. "At the Stjepan Radić Dormitory, Pavilions 5 and 6 are going into renovation; we hope it will be completed within the next 18 months, meaning that for one academic year, 152 beds will not be available. The renovation was undertaken precisely because these pavilions were built for the 1987 Universiade and are now undergoing a major reconstruction," said Levak.
He also recalled the previous renovation in 2015, when all capacities in Cvjetno Naselje and most of the Stjepan Radić Dormitory were renovated. At that time, the subsidy was four times higher than the regular one, so this year the Student Center proposed the amount of 152 euros to the Ministry.
When asked why dormitories have become more expensive over the past three years, Levak explains that the Student Center in Zagreb, like all others in Croatia, is experiencing a constant rise in energy prices and an increase in gross wages. Despite this, he emphasizes that the Zagreb center has the lowest prices of all student centers in the country.
"A student at the Student Center in Zagreb can sleep for as little as 40 euros per month, which includes all utility costs and internet," he stressed. The most expensive, first-category accommodation now costs 117 euros per month, also including all utility costs.
A special warning was issued to students who try to sell dorm spots through Facebook groups and other channels. "The subsidy is a basic student right and is not transferable to another person. We appeal every year that students do not sell places in the student dormitory. It is a deeply immoral act. They are directly harming their colleagues who may not be able to continue their studies because of it," Levak said.
He also announced concrete supervision measures: "We will certainly conduct regular checks and physical entries into rooms to verify who the tenants of the student dormitories are. Additionally, we are also conducting electronic checks by monitoring various social media."
