13 September,2026 07:25 AM IST | Mumbai | Akshita Maheshwari
Divija Pandit pays Rs 14,700 for a three-sharing non-AC room where she faces cleanliness and hygiene issues. She’s been trying to move for two years but every place she sees is worse. Pic/Sayyed Sameer Abedi
The promise of a big city lies in the opportunities it can offer. It has better education, better jobs and pay, better public transport. That is why thousands of students move to Mumbai every year, to grab the chance at a better future.
Whether here or in Delhi, when the students finally arrive, they quickly realise a bigger city doesn't mean a better life, and it certainly doesn't mean better housing.
Last week in the Capital, seven people, including five students, died after a paying guest (PG) building collapsed. The 50-year-old structure fell because of unauthorised structural alterations, water seepage, and the inherent weakness of an aging, pillarless structure.
The tragedy has laid bare the accommodation shortage that outstation students face. Even in Delhi University's sprawling premises, less than 4 per cent students get campus accommodation. The rest are left to fend for themselves.
In Mumbai, the problem grows tenfold, especially due to the larger housing crisis that cripples the city. There are over 1400 colleges in Mumbai, and yet you could count the number of institutes that provide on-campus housing on your fingers. This has given rise to a highly unregulated student housing market where PGs and hostels range anywhere from Rs 10,000 to Rs 1 lakh for a bed. The disparity in living conditions is stark; while some share a 2BHK with over 10 people, others live with a concierge on call.
Divija Pandit moved from Kolkata to Mumbai when she was 18 to study in a premiere South Mumbai college. She was saddened to learn her college has no on-campus accommodation for girls. She now lives at a PG nearby in Marine Lines. "There are heaps of garbage all around our building, and the construction is really old. But it's the most decent place I could find at this price," says Pandit.
She pays Rs 14,700 for a three-sharing room on the ground floor, which is non-AC. "On my floor, there are approximately 18 girls, with three washrooms between us," she says, "It's a bit crammed. The rooms are not that spacious. I've gotten used to it because I've been living here for so long," Pandit says, "The PG doesn't provide food either. Eighteen girls share one kitchen, so you have to wait for your turn to cook."
Pandit's biggest issue is cleanliness. "It's unclean outside, but even inside, the cleaner doesn't come by regularly," she says.
Now 20, Pandit has just entered the third year of her course. Each year, she looks for another place to live but returns to the same conclusion: "Each place I see is worse than where I'm staying right now," she says.
Renting an apartment brings its own set of problems: brokers, high rent, cramped homes, and the exhaustion of trying to find a place before the next term begins. "The brokers exploit you, especially if you're kids," she says. And there's always a risk of losing her deposit, which is about two months' rent, close to Rs 30,000.
Pandit has learnt to adjust. But reading about what happened in Delhi got to her. "There are a lot of other buildings in this area, especially in SoBo, which are very much not in a good condition and still there's people living there, that too above and beyond the capacity of the building," she says.
"No one cares about these things until someone dies," says 22-year-old Tanushree Poddar. She moved from Kolkata a year-and-a-half ago to a 2BHK flat-cum-PG in South Bombay, which she shares with nine other roommates. "I live in a double occupancy room with an attached washroom. There's another room with three beds, and the hall has five beds."
She pays Rs 20,000 for her bed, not including rent, utilities, or food. "You have to pay Rs 3000 per month extra for food," Poddar tells us, "But I couldn't eat that food."
She moved here to pursue a masters in advertising and entertainment media from a prominent South Mumbai college. "Mumbai is a lonely city, especially in the beginning. It's a peculiar loneliness when you live with nine other people, but still feel alone," she says.
But the biggest problem in her apartment right now are the roaches and rats. "Even when I've tried to bring up the issue with my landlord, it's been no help," she says.
The only saving grace is the hostel's location. "It's a two-minute walk to the nearest Metro station and a seven-eight minute walk to the train station, so connectivity is very easy. That's why I'm still here," she says.
"I do feel that it is a college's responsibility to provide hostels to its students. The problem is that people are desperate for housing in Mumbai," she says, "And landlords also know this, so they also get away with it."
With college-authorised housing, there would be better systems for redressal and accountability, Poddar feels.
In a city with such limited real estate, on-campus housing might be unrealistic, but Aditi Mundhada recalls how a state government-run hostel gave her a safe, subsidised place to stay when she was studying at Government Law College, Churchgate, from 2012-17. "GLC didn't offer any hostels, so I enrolled into Savitridevi Phule Mahila Chhatralaya [in Girgaon]," says Mundhada, "It was the best decision of my life."
It was a five-storey building with 30 rooms on each floor. "Each floor was assigned to a single college. So my floor was for GLC, and then there were floors for HR College, JJ School of Arts, and some other town colleges, a few from the suburbs too," she recalls.
Back then Mundhada spent about Rs 10,000 a year on rent. "I got to live in a prime location - right on Marine Drive - at a very affordable price," she says.
In 2023, the Savitribai Phule girls' hostel was demolished for redevelopment and its 450 occupants were relocated to an SRA tower in Bandra. The same year, an 18-year-old was sexually assaulted and strangled to death there by the security guard. The hostel is yet to return to Charni Road, and there's no government information on when that might be.
While it is not mandatory for colleges affiliated to Mumbai University to provide student accommodation, the varsity does recommend institutes to do it. Educator and ex-principal of a premiere SoBo college Dr Rajendra Shinde has been part of many Local Inquiry Committees (LIC) that assess colleges applying for fresh MU affiliation, course renewals, or intake increases. During an inquiry, Dr Shinde and panel use a prescribed form to check standards of the institution. "If they [the college] say we don't have a hostel, the committee normally puts a comment [in their report]... The college management then gives you an undertaking that they will comply with requirements in future. Suppose after four or five years, the college applies for another programme, at that time, the committee is supposed to verify whether the previous recommendations are complied with or not," Dr Shinde explains.
However, since it is merely a recommendation, the university does not actively track how many of these colleges meet that commitment.
If colleges don't let students stay on-campus, is their safety outside campus still the college's responsibility? "If a student gets harassed at a train station, the college should be a safe space for the student to ask for help. And then, the college can assist them further, get them psychological or legal help. It is a moral duty, but not a legal one," says Dr Shinde.
How can colleges ensure housing for students, we ask him. "A lot of times colleges have an understanding with certain hostels. They can also provide a list of trusted PGs and hostels which are affordable," he notes.
Not having access to affordable housing near the college then forces outstation students to commute long distances in an unfamiliar city.
All of this at the age of 17 or 18, in an unknown land - the supposed maya nagri. "Students often get lost," he says, "When I was a principal, there were a few cases, when students eventually went back home because they couldn't find hostels. Especially in the case of girls, because then safety comes into question."
A student who lives on campus at south Mumbai college is grateful that he doesn't have to commute for hours
The only real advantage is that I don't have to wake up early for lectures," says 17-year old Keith D'souza (name changed) who moved from Delhi and now lives on campus in a South Mumbai college. He pays '1.1 lakh an academic year for a triple-sharing room, "though my third roommate isn't here yet."
Here's what you get for Rs 1.1 lakh: a bed, with no AC, WiFi, or food. But you do get access to a gym. "I have installed my own WiFi, which I share with four other people, at Rs 400 per person."
But he doesn't complain because there are many who have it worse. "I have some classmates that commute from Vasai-Virar. I'm glad I don't have to wake up three hours before college to commute, especially because my lectures start at 8 am."
About 60 students live there. Hostel allocation is done on the basis of your grade 12 marks, "and you're only allowed to live for the first year." "The idea is once you get used to the city, you can find accommodation outside. Though you can come back in the third year, based on your second year marks," he adds.
A student who opted for a Marwari community hostel, shares that privacy was hard to come by
Twenty-two-year-old Kriti Daga (name changed)moved to Mumbai when she was pursuing Chartered Accountancy from Rajasthan. "I lived in a hostel which is especially for Marwaris from Rajasthan. Only CA students can live here," she says, "The hostel has three branches: one in Goregaon East, and two newer buildings - one for girls and one for boys - in Andheri."
The application process is pretty thorough. "It's very competitive. There's even a personal interview." But the rent was only Rs 40,000 for six months, including utilities. "Food was additional."
The hardest part was how crowded her flat was. "It was a 2BHK with two bathrooms shared by 14 people. There were bunk beds in the two bedrooms, the hall, and even the kitchen, which wasn't functional. I went from sleeping alone my whole life to suddenly being around so many people. I couldn't do much in the hostel room except sleep."
But a community hostel can feel stifling in many other ways. "Everyone knew each other from before, so some people would bad-mouth you before you even got there. Or they would know your parents. Privacy was hard to come by," she says.
The newest hostel at Andheri is much better designed, she says, "That's a 12-storey building with lifts, gyms, and recreational areas."
What she does like about her hostel is the extra-curricular activities. "Since CAs don't really go to college, we don't really get to have a college life. But my hostel used to organise a lot of fests, dance competitions, and talent shows, which I loved participating in. I also got to network with people who working in my field, and make some great connections," she says, "In the beginning, it took me a long time to adjust. But surviving in a city like Mumbai alone is very hard. The friends I made in the hostel really helped me."
A lot of foreign universities are also planning on opening campuses in Mumbai. One such university is the University of Western Australia (UWA). How will they accommodate students, we ask them. David Das, COO at UWA India, says, "At UWA India, we recognise that accommodation is an important part of the student experience, particularly for students relocating to Mumbai. We are exploring and developing appropriate support mechanisms to help students identify suitable accommodation options in the city, while also providing guidance around settling into Mumbai and accessing the services they need."
Founder of Hive Hostels Bharat Agarwal talks about private hostels
Most societies are not welcoming to students and bachelors in Mumbai," says Bharat Agarwal, founder of student housing company Hive Hostels. "So, they have to resort to buildings that are 30-40 years old, where the roof is falling or the structure is shaky."
"Most colleges are clustered in South Mumbai or Vile Parle. The demand-supply gap in that area is so massive that students end up paying exorbitant rent for sub-standard homes. And then there are issues with landlords, deposits not being refunded, and so on," he adds.
Their aim is to provide an end-to-end solution where students get housing, food, laundry, "because a student spends about four to five hours in college. The rest of 20 hours are spent at home. So that space can't just be a bed. We provide gyms, recreation areas, study rooms, and even workshops to bring a sense of community," he says. They run two brands Hive, which is the mid-range segment ranging from Rs 4-6 lakh a year and Aurus which is the luxury segment, ranging from '7-15 lakh a year. "The biggest problem right now is that there is absolutely no government regulation. For example, there's no licence to operate a business like ours in India. In other countries, Purpose-Built Student Accommodation is a separate category of real estate, with different standards, different rules to follow," he says.
In the wake of the Satya Niketan PG building crash:
. âThe Delhi government has proposed a new Bill to bring PG accommodations under regulation, to cap rent and deposits, ensure safety and regular inspections
. â The National Human Rights Commission has sought an action plan from the Delhi government and University Grants Commission to provide outstation with safe and affordable housing, by building new hostels and expanding existing ones
[popcorn number="7" desc="Number of people who died in Satya Niketan's collapse" class="Default"]
