State and federal governments provide for student housing in Friedensau

Shortly before Christmas, the Friedensau Adventist University (FAU) received good news in the form of a funding approval notice from the Investment Bank of Saxony-Anhalt: With the special ‘Young Living’ programme launched in 2023, the federal government, in cooperation with the federal states, is promoting the creation of residential accommodation for students and trainees as part of social housing construction. A total of € 17.5 million will be available for this purpose in Saxony-Anhalt until 2029. Around €2.5 million will go to the Jerichower Land district in the form of a grant for the construction of a new student residence in Friedensau with 42 new places.

Currently, around 200 students are enrolled at FAU; about two-thirds of them are international students who have come to Germany from around 30 countries to study. At present, student rooms and single apartments with 95 beds in 79 rooms are available on campus. Not all students live on campus – some are accommodated in the surrounding area or are studying part-time. However, the public transport timetables often make it impossible to arrive on time for the start of classes and to travel home after lectures, which can sometimes end after 6 p.m.

A special feature of the new hall of residence is its design: with an arcade around an inner courtyard for student gardening. The absence of an efficient central corridor, which was developed during the barracks construction period, promotes healthy living: cross ventilation and light from two sides follow two health concepts that have characterised the entire campus in Friedensau since its foundation in 1899: light and air.

The planned student residence will be located on the FAU campus near the university guest house, in the transition area to the historic centre of the town with its community facilities, LadenCafé and Barn (Kulturscheune).

The FAU is aiming to raise € 250,000 in donations for this project by the time it is completed in 2029. ‘We are confident that we can raise this amount as part of our own funds,’ says Tobias H. Koch, Chancellor of the university and Chairman of the Board of Trustees. ‘Investing in the future of young people is always a worthwhile cause to support, especially in an environment that will face major demographic challenges in the coming years.’