The two residences, one located at the Gambelas campus and the other at the Penha campus, both in the municipality of Faro, are in the final stages of construction. They will raise the university’s total student housing capacity from 539 to 837 beds, the University of the Algarve (UAlg) highlighted in a statement.

These facilities represent a total investment of €18 million made under the National Plan for Higher Education Accommodation (PNAES) and funded by the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR); UAlg noted that it contributed €8.8 million of the total amount itself.

This expansion of UAlg’s housing capacity represents growth of over 55%, the university emphasised. The region faces high student housing costs due to difficulties in accessing accommodation—driven by rising real estate prices nationwide, particularly in areas with high tourist traffic.

“This expansion comes at a particularly relevant time, as applications for higher education are underway and access to affordable, quality housing remains one of the main challenges for many students and their families,” the institution stated.

The investment to create these 298 new beds for the upcoming academic year “continues the institution’s efforts to improve student housing conditions,” the university added.

UAlg noted that it also invested €8.3 million in 2025 to renovate and upgrade seven university residences and to “improve accommodation conditions” for 442 existing beds.

“With the opening of the new Penha and Gambelas residences, the University of the Algarve strengthens its ability to meet the academic community’s needs, fostering better conditions for student integration and success,” the Algarve-based higher education institution stated.

Increasing the supply of accommodation is “an important step in the institution’s strategy to make higher education more accessible, attractive, and inclusive,” UAlg argued, highlighting the contribution this makes to “strengthening the Algarve region’s capacity to host students.”

Last week, UAlg Rector Alexandra Teodósio conducted a site visit to the two new residences and inspected the facilities that will be available to students at the start of the upcoming academic year.