More than 152,000 university students in Uzbekistan were living in rented housing at the beginning of the 2025/2026 academic year, accounting for about 20.5% of all full-time students, lawmaker Shukhrat Yakubov said.
The figures were presented on August 18 at a meeting of the Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis, where lawmakers considered the bill on simplifying registration by place of residence and temporary stay.
According to the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Innovation, 741,483 students were enrolled in full-time programs at 202 higher education institutions at the start of the academic year.
About 441,000 students, or 59%, lived in their own homes or with close relatives and commuted to their institutions. Another 102,000 lived in university dormitories, while more than 44,000 stayed in dormitories built under public-private partnership arrangements.
More than 152,000 students lived in rented housing.
“More than 152,000 of our students currently live in rented apartments. The provision on rented housing was included in the bill specifically to protect their interests,” Yakubov said.
Registration exemption extended to rented housing
The bill expands the group of students who would be exempt from the minimum housing space requirement when registering at a temporary address.
The version approved at first reading primarily covered university students and accommodation in student dormitories. During preparations for the second reading, the provision was expanded to include students at secondary specialized and vocational education institutions.
Rented apartments were also added because of the large number of students living in such housing.
During the discussion, lawmakers raised concerns that the change could result in an unusually large number of students being registered at a single address.
Colonel Ulugbek Mirzakambarov, first deputy head of the Department of Migration and Personalization under the Ministry of Internal Affairs, said the issue had been discussed with practitioners and the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Innovation.
He said the ministry had concluded that extending the exemption to rented housing would not create practical difficulties and would help resolve registration problems for a large number of students.
“About 70% of students do not have access to dormitories and are therefore forced to rent housing. They typically rent apartments in groups of four or five,” Mirzakambarov said.
He added that extending the provision to rented apartments would resolve registration problems for many students and reduce the risk of administrative penalties for failing to meet registration requirements.
Exemption to cover more students
The bill was drafted at the initiative of a group of lawmakers and received conceptual approval at first reading on August 11. Its main provisions remained unchanged during preparations for the second reading, although several measures were expanded following proposals from MPs.
One of the key changes concerns the application of the minimum housing space requirement when registering at a temporary address.
The original version exempted university students and accommodation in student dormitories from the requirement. The revised version extends the exemption to students at secondary specialized and vocational education institutions.
According to Yakubov, the amendment will additionally benefit more than 100,000 young people. More than 37,000 students, for example, are enrolled in 92 academic lyceums across the country.
The Legislative Chamber approved the bill in its second reading.
