Studierendenwerk Aachen publishes annual report

Studierendenwerk Aachen has published its annual report for 2024. A look at the figures provides insight into the operating results of another challenging year.

CATERING

In 2024, more students flocked to university dining halls than in the previous year. The number of meals served rose from 2,287,333 to 2,422,984. Total sales in the dining department reached €8.78 million.

During the reporting period, the university dining department faced the task of restructuring the production area. The reason for this is planned dining hall renovations, which will cause some capacity losses in the coming years. These must be cushioned in good time. In addition, the topic of digitalization became increasingly important in the dining sector. A particularly welcome event was the opening of Aachen's first vegetarian dining hall. 

At the beginning of the year, it was already foreseeable that energy, food, and personnel costs would continue to rise in 2024 due to inflation. Decisions had to be made to counteract the increasing additional burdens. After the potential for savings through strategic purchasing and internal process optimizations had already been exhausted in the previous year and state subsidies had stagnated, dining hall prices and social contributions were ultimately put to the test. The Administration Board finally decided to increase meal prices as of 1 February 2024, which only affects university employees and guests from outside the university, i.e., those who do not pay social contributions.

HOUSING

At the beginning of the 2024/25 winter semester, there were a total of around 9,000 applicants on the waiting list, including around 5,000 who still needed accommodation at the start of the winter semester. The remaining applicants had already applied for the 2025 summer semester or later.

The Jan-von-Werth-Straße 82 residence hall in Jülich, originally with 110 single rooms and 3 family apartments, was completely renovated and vacated in October 2020. The new tenants moved in for the 2024/25 winter semester starting on 1 September 2024. All 105 beds were occupied.

Demand was highest for apartments, followed by shared rooms, single rooms, single rooms with bathrooms, two-room apartments, and double apartments. Family apartments and apartments suitable for disabled people were less in demand. The five most represented nations in the halls of residence were Germany, India, China, Turkey, and Morocco. The proportion of students from abroad was 58 percent, while 39 percent of the residents were female.

High occupancy rate
The total number of beds available in Aachen and Jülich was 4,743. Some beds were lost due to renovation work in various halls of residence. In the reporting year, 2,289 students were provided with accommodation (2023: 2,2305).

BAFÖG 

In the area of BAföG, the Office approved a total of 7,873 initial and repeat applications in 2024. 8,160 of the total 60,780 students applied for BAföG benefits.

The students receiving support were provided with a total of around €51.3 million in the reporting year. The average per capita funding amount was €543 per month.

SOCIAL SERVICES AND DAYCARE CENTERS

CHILD CARE

The Studierendenwerk's daycare facilities play a major role in supporting students' families: it opened its first nursery in 1971, followed by four more daycare facilities. 

SOCIAL COUNSELING

Social counseling supports students, employees, and their families by providing comprehensive advice on issues that affect their studies and work. From January to December 2024, many people took advantage of this service, which focused on a variety of topics. In 2024, 1,844 counseling sessions were recorded. In the first half of the year, the focus was on housing, finances, disability, mental health, family, violence, conflicts, bureaucratic assistance, legal issues, discrimination, and medical and insurance issues. In the second half of the year, the focus shifted to study prospects and special study conditions.

The annual report for 2024 has been published in digital form.