"It's incredibly difficult right now to find student housing. The big key right now is affordability," said Madeleine Stinson, president of Dalhousie's Student Union. She said she has been receiving lots of emails from students looking for help finding apartments or help to pay for them. As in-person learning returns on campus, so too are the students. But COVID-19 means there will be fewer spaces in residence than before. In an email, Dalhousie spokesperson Janet Bryson said its overall residence capacity is being reduced to 80 per cent. "Dalhousie has a residence room assignment policy that gives priority to new, direct-from-high-school students," Bryson said. "Demand for rooms from the new direct from high school group is high this year, leaving very little space available for other students."