Dharwad: Shortage of students’ hostels run by the social welfare department and backward classes and minorities (BCM) department across the state, particularly in districts which are known as education hubs, has deprived lakhs of students of higher education.

According to official sources, only 20% of the students who apply for accommodation in hostels get seats, while the remaining 80% are left to fend for themselves. This year, the BCM department has received over 3 lakh applications for hostel seats, of which 60%, i.e. 2 lakh, are seeking accommodation in Hubballi-Dharwad, Belagavi, Mysuru, Davanagere, Bengaluru and Kalaburagi. However, according to the officials, only 40,000 seats are available in these districts.

The BCM department currently operates 1,258 post-matric hostels, including 566 boys’ hostels and 692 girls’ hostels, with a total intake capacity of 1,68,833 students, 76,744 boys and 92,089 girls. Despite multiple appeals to expand facilities, the government has only given in-principle approval for 150 new hostels, falling significantly short of actual demand.

This shortfall has had a severe impact on poor and deserving students, particularly those from rural taluks of North Karnataka and the Mysuru region. According to BCM officials, the shortage of seats is a perennial issue, with thousands of applicants rejected every year due to lack of space.

This year alone, 15,938 students from backward classes and minority communities applied for hostel accommodation in Dharwad district, but only 1,690 were admitted. Meaning over 90% were denied seats. A similar crisis is unfolding in Kalaburagi and Belagavi, where more than 18,000 students in each district are still waiting for admissions.

In a bid to accommodate more students, 7-8 students are being allotted rooms which are meant for 4-5 students, resulting in overcrowding.

Unable to get accommodation in govt hostels many students are being forced into expensive private hostels and PG accommodations. Unable to bear the high costs, some students are abandoning their studies altogether.

AIDSO representative Bhavani Shankargouda said the hostel crisis has persisted statewide for two decades but worsened after the pandemic as the cost of education soared while middle-class incomes stagnated.

ABVP central working committee member Manikant Kalasa echoed similar concerns. “The shortage of hostels is not restricted to one or two districts—it is a statewide problem. Successive govts have neglected the education sector. As colleges introduce more urban-centric courses, the flow of students to cities has only increased,” he said.

BCM officer H Bhanumati said that the demand for hostel seats is exceptionally high, not only in Hubballi and Dharwad but across the state. “We are unable to provide seats to all eligible candidates. However, we have submitted a proposal for 28 new hostels in Dharwad district, particularly in the twin cities, as there is minimal demand for BCM hostels in taluk-level locations,” she said.

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