The University Association (Udu) and Federconsumatori have presented a report on tuition fees entitled "Poor Students", which shows that a student spends on average on academic fees, housing, food, transportation (urban and intercity for transgressive and non-resident students), learning materials and digital resources, culture, social, recreational, sports and health activities: €9,379 per year at the place of study, €10,293 per year for transgressive students and €17,498 per year for non-resident students. These figures show that studying is increasingly becoming a luxury only available to a few, especially if one decides to study in another city.

Expense Study''students

The study also noted that international students spend on average 87% more per year than on-site students and 70% more than trans students. A key factor in this difference is the cost of housing, which averages €5,220 per year (with large differences between north and south).

Separate attention has also been paid to the cost of rental housing. According to a study on the "non-resident crisis" conducted by Udu in collaboration with Cgil and Sunia, the average rent in Italy is 350 euros per month, to which is added 80 euros per month for utilities and bills. In particular, the average rent in northern Italy is around 408 euros, drops to 328 euros in the center and 247' in the south'euro.

Costs for utilities and utility bills

When it comes to utilities and utility bills, the average cost of utility bills is around €45-50 per month, while utility costs are around €30-35 per month. Based on recent data from Arera on average monthly energy consumption per household, it is possible to roughly estimate the average cost of utility bills at around €60 per month.

It has also been noted that utility bills for electricity and gas for non-residents will be 25% higher than those for residents. Poor energy efficiency and thermal insulation of rented apartments for non-resident students is also a problem, resulting in significant''use of heating. Around 25% of students complain of inadequate energy insulation, which affects utility bills and quality of life.

Closure

Alessia Polisini, National CEO of Udu, explains, "We have updated our latest report on education costs in Italy and it is alarming to see that the average cost has risen by around €5,000. Analyzing international students, the biggest expense is rent, with an average of 435 euros per month. This is followed by food costs at €412, and health and wellbeing costs at €190. "

Kamilla Piredda, Udu's national coordinator, adds: "Since May we have been sleeping in tents in universities across Italy and in return we have received a useless budget law.'''We have also proposed an "Ask Me How I Feel" law to intervene in mental health issues: for a six-month course of psychological or psychotherapeutic treatment, a cost of €1,776 can be estimated. We cannot afford an average cost of more than 17 thousand euros a year for what should be a right. On November 17, we will be in squares all over Italy to ask for a new model of education to put the young people of this country first again. "

Roberto Giordano, vice president of Federconsumatori, emphasizes: "These prohibitive costs not only reinforce inequality by making university education accessible only to the middle and upper classes, but also contribute to dropouts. According to a recent report''Anvut, only 28.3% of the population between the ages of 25 and 34 are pursuing higher education.'