Of the 234 beds that are being renovated three residences at the University of Algarve, only 96 will be ready at the beginning of the school year, but Dean Paulo Águas guarantees that all students admitted to the residences will be accommodated on September 18, albeit in different ways.
«We are working on solutions that include reinforcing accommodation in beds that have not been renovated. There will be rooms that, for two weeks, will be triples instead of doubles and common areas that we are preparing to accommodate beds during that period. This is the solution we are building so that all students have accommodation», guaranteed the dean.
Ao Sul Informação, Paulo Águas clarified that, currently, the eight student residences at the University of Algarve in Faro they have 509 beds, 234 of which have been renovated. Of these, 96 will be ready on September 18th, 60 on October 2nd and the remaining 78 on October 16th.
Speaking to our newspaper, Paulo Águas reinforced that the priority of these services is to accommodate all scholarship students, something that UAlg has achieved. For non-scholarship holders, a category in which demand has increased, the rector admits that «the situation is more difficult than it was a few years ago».
«We are currently receiving applications from new students and we have already informed 319 from last year that they are going to take residency this year. What happens nowadays is that we have more non-scholarship students looking for residences from the social action service, but we can only respond to them if there is availability», explains the dean.
For the fourth consecutive year, the University of Algarve had a placement rate higher than the national average. According to Paulo Águas, there are 1500 students placed, but, of these, what is expected is that around 15% will not enroll.
«This happens every year and for several reasons, namely because students who took the second phase exams later apply with these exams for other options», he justifies, noting that the main reason is not the lack of accommodation.
«In 2013/14, our residence occupancy rate was between 75 and 80%, we could not fill the residences, but the rate of students who did not enroll was even higher than it is now, so the reason is not that's the one», he reinforces, stressing that, although there are more students coming in, there are also more graduate students leaving, leaving the rooms free for others.
As for the future availability of more beds, Paulo Águas recalls that the construction of two new residences is planned, with a total of 287 beds, but that, taking into account the best forecast, they will only be ready in September 2025.
«The processes are ongoing, but, in compliance with the law, these are things that require time. Our forecast is that we will be able to launch the tenders by the end of the first quarter of 2024 and we hope that they will be completed in September 2025», concludes the dean.
Photos: Nuno Costa | Sul Informação
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