Amber Beat: Global Student Accommodation Market News - August 2025, Week 04

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Amber Beat is a weekly snapshot of the key developments in top student accommodation markets.  This newsletter provides you with all the information you need to know, from new upcoming projects to current trends, news affecting students to government policies, we’ve got you covered!

Amber Beat | News from February 27-March 06, 2025

United Kingdom

• Indian student visas lower 11% to 98,014 as of June 2025 in UK, trailing China (99,919), while detentions of Indian nationals surge 108% (Source)
• UK Home Office reports 431,725 sponsored study visas granted in the year to June 2025, up 18% in H1 but 18% lower YoY (Source)
• Sponsored study visa main applicants reach 428,900 in year ending July 2025, 3% lower than July 2024 (Source)
• Kexgill and University of Liverpool form £20M+ PBSA partnership, aim to tackle student housing affordability with sustainable, community-led development starting 2026 (Source)
• Dominus Stratford Ltd files plan to replace Stratford High Street block with a student tower comprising 692 rooms and shared amenity spaces (Source)
• AAXA Investment Managers hedge bets with 3.24% Empiric and 2.28% Unite stakes after Unite’s £723M deal, eyeing £13.7M synergies despite limited voting power (Source)

United States of America

• US recorded 76,519 international student arrivals in July 2025, down from 106,993 in July 2024, with arrivals from India reflecting close to a 50% change (Source)
• US student visas stood at 79,000 in July 2025, compared to 1.1 million in 2023-24, with shifts in demand from India and China amid Trump-era policy scrutiny (Source)
• US resumes study visa appointments with updated rules, including social media review, in-person interviews from September 2025, and 148% fee hike for non-petition visas (Source)
• Trump administration proposes capping student and exchange visas at four years, with extensions requiring application to USCIS and DHS review for tighter oversight (Source)
• Ivy Leagues like Harvard draw 54,008 applicants for Class of 2028, but stringent US policies may push students to consider alternatives in Europe (Source)
• Survey of 1,200 college students finds 60% anticipate impact of Trump’s new tax bill, with many rethinking education choices, pathways, and alternatives (Source)
• Cal Poly Pomona acquires $126M student housing property from Gilbane Inc, expanding portfolio with 636 beds and 177 units (Source)
• 6000 student visas revoked by US state department over legal violations and overstays, about 4,000 tied to criminal offences (Source)
• Visa backlogs and 40% enrollment decline threaten Boston’s education economy, cause housing disruptions, and challenge student ambitions (Source)

Australia

• Australian Business Deans Council calls for visa fee review as business schools draw 28.4% of 2025 international enrollments, backing finalization of education framework (Source)
• India-born population in Australia hits 988,270, first-generation arrivals 673,352, nearly half as students, 77% stay after seven years (Source)
• Australia’s student housing investment surges 15-fold at $1.8B with 6,900+ beds underway, including 2,772 for 2025 and 5,832 for 2026 (Source)
• Nearly half of universities restructured, with over 50 schools cut, hundreds of courses removed, and 2,400 jobs (1.6% workforce) at risk by 2027 (Source)
• $50,000 arts degree fees to remain until 2027 as ATEC reforms await 2026 parliamentary approval (Source)

Canada

• By 2024, 427,000 Indian students were in Canada compared to 337,630 in the US, citing affordability, safety, and immigration ease (Source)
• Study confidence surges after India‑Canada diplomatic reset, Canadian applications up 20–30%, Fall 2025 sees 31% rise (Source)
• University of Toronto climbs to 25th rank globally, retaining Canada’s top spot, boosted by Nobel laureate Geoffrey Hinton’s award (Source)
• Windsor to build Canada’s first 3D-printed, net-zero student residence with $2M funding, set for summer 2026 (Source)

Europe

• Germany now hosts nearly 60,000 Indian students, up 20% YoY, doubling in five years with 49,483 in winter 2023–24 (Source)
• Student costs in France for 2025‑26 average €609 for rent (+2.46%) and €272 for transport (+1.44%), reports UNEF (Source)
• 54% of foreign PhDs in France work in private sector vs 40% of French nationals, 35% in private R&D, majority in stable full-time rolls, reporting high satisfaction (Source)
• 1.76 million foreign tertiary students (8.4%) recorded in EU in 2023; Slovakia (91.3%), Slovenia (89.4%), Croatia (89.0%) dominated intra‑EU, while Asia led in Ireland 45%, Finland 43.3%, Germany 40.1%, Italy 36% (Source)
• CAO offers 51% of Irish third-level applicants their first-choice courses, four-fifths get top-three preferences, while 25 high-demand courses use random selection (Source)
• Dublin tops Ireland’s student cost-of-living guide at €20,077 per year (+3%), with international students averaging €27,871, up €1,391 from 2024 (Source)