Dutch rail operator NS is offering 20 incoming students the chance to camp in luxury tents on the upper floor of Utrecht Central Station during the city's annual student introduction week.

In a press release, Nederlandse Spoorwegen (NS) announced that during the city's student introduction week (11–14 August), it will set up 10 tents on the station's upper floor, each with a made-up bed, breakfast, drinks, music, a bicycle for trips into the city, and even earplugs for light sleepers.

The Glamping Utrecht Centraal initiative targets first-year students who live far from Utrecht, don't have an accomodation yet, and will start their studies in September, sparing them long daily commutes. Applicants are asked to submit a short video via NS's Instagram account by 1 August, with 20 spots available

While marketed as a quirky, adventurous start to student life, the idea underscores a much grimmer reality: Dutch universities and major cities have faced severe student housing shortages for years. Groningen, where students make up 25% of the population, once pitched marquee-style tents in past years, where students paid for the privilege of sleeping in rows of beds under one 'roof'.

Nearby, 'Dutch only' rental notices left many international students with almost no housing options. The situation grew so severe that universities and government agencies warned admitted foreign students not to come without accommodation – even if they were accepted to the programme already. The government even went so far as to propose restricting English-taught degrees to curb the number of international students, though the plan has since been reversed.

Utrecht, like Amsterdam and Groningen, remains under intense pressure to house its growing student population – making even a train station bed seem like a luxury.