Malaga University candidate students driven away by housing crisis

"It's a real nightmare," he says. "Ever since I found out I'd got in, I've scoured all the property websites, gone to viewings for flatshares and come across listings at exorbitant prices," he explains.

An example from his search: 17 square metres in a flat shared by four students. "The room is quiet, as it overlooks the interior patio," reads the advert. Those 17 square metres would cost Félix around 550 euros a month.

"Who can afford something like that? How are people supposed to live and study in Malaga under these conditions?"

Félix comes from a town on the border with the province of Granada. For a while, he considered driving back and forth every day. "This isn't sustainable. I'm still waiting for a miracle," he says.

Faith and the hope for a miracle sum up very well what the search for accommodation has become for students coming from outside Malaga. Demand for rooms across Spain in general and in Malaga in particular keeps rising.

The number of people interested in each room has increased by 12 per cent over the last 12 months nationwide. In Malaga, the growth is even higher: 17 per cent.

According to the Idealista website, the average price for a shared room in Malaga is 450 euros. To put this into context, in Granada it stands at around 300 euros.

"It's always been my dream to study in Malaga, but perhaps I should have put Granada as my first choice," Félix says.

His is not an isolated case. Deputy chancellor for equality and social policy at Malaga University María José Berlanga confirms that students do not have it easy.

"The issue of rent is a cause for concern," she says. For the time being, the university has no trouble filling the places it offers, but Berlanga points out that she can no longer rule out the possibility that students who gain a place at their chosen faculty might end up giving it up due to the difficulty of finding a place to rent.

Rental prices have been rising steadily in Malaga. The increase is significantly faster than the rise in the general cost of living. "If we students need two part-time jobs just to pay the rent, we're left with hardly any time for our studies," members of the students' union say.

The housing shortage and rising costs have meant that the average rent for students in Malaga is higher than the national average. At the start of the new academic year, rents for students in Spain stand at an average of 425 euros per month.

Medium-sized university towns are becoming increasingly unaffordable for many people, although Malaga, the capital of the Costa del Sol, clearly stands out.

"Many of my friends are just as frustrated as I am. The very thought of studying in Malaga gives you a headache. Room prices are always high and the chances of finding a good deal are always slim," Félix says.

Room prices in Malaga have risen by six per cent, reaching an average of 450 euros per month. This increase is, however, far below the 22 per cent rise in Palma de Mallorca.

Read dedicated local reporting for Malaga city