Rental Housing for Students: A Case Study of Kota, India

The mid-size city of Kota, Rajasthan in India has emerged as an important coaching centre for students aspiring to join the elite Indian academic institutions for medical and engineering studies. Every year lakhs of students congregate here and make it their home for two to four years, while they put themselves to the daily academic grind in an extremely competitive environment. Mushrooming of coaching centres with negligible residential facility compels the young students to make difficult rental choices from the open market to match their paying capacity. The influx of students in Kota has paced the city's growth from moderate to fast developing city. The city has evolved and changed its economic growth pattern from the industrial base to educational service sector. This paper looks at the impact the coaching centres have on the dynamics of rental housing market in Kota. The paper is based on empirical evidence from the city.