Studentification in the Global South: Neoliberal University Reform and Speculative Housing in Semarang, Indonesia

Abstract

Neoliberal reforms in Indonesian higher education are reshaping urban landscapes through studentification, a phenomenon still underexplored in the Global South. Using the case of Universitas Negeri Semarang (UNNES) after its 2022 transformation into a legal-entity state university (PTN-BH), this article shows how policy pushes students into a stratified rental market. It finds a clash between local residents’ informal kos-kosan economy and speculative investment from external actors, a dynamic distinct from Global North contexts. Digital platforms intensify this divide by structuring access and pricing while marginalizing affordable options. The study argues that studentification in the Global South is structurally driven by neoliberal university policy and positions students simultaneously as consumers, sites of value extraction, and potential political actors.