Amber Beat Global Student Accommodation Market News - December 2025, Week 03

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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 December 15-December 21, 2025

United Kingdom

• UK set to rejoin EU’s Erasmus+ from 2027, committing £570M with 30% fee discount (Source)
• UK’s return to Erasmus may benefit mid-tier universities most, as HESA data shows fall in EU enrolments from 153,000 in 2020–21 to 74,500 in 2023–24, hitting teaching-focused institutions hardest (Source)
• UK university ‘cold spots’ deepen as language enrolments fall 60% since 2012 while AI student numbers rise from under 2,000 to 9,100 in 2023/2024 (Source)
• MEA data shows Indian students issued 98,015 visas (+44% in Q2) in UK, as Canada permits drop to 510,235, US F-1 issuances fall 44%, Australia commencements decline 8%, and EU sees rising demand (Source)
• EU nationals’ UK student loan debt hits £5.8B in 2024–25, up from £0.7B in 2013–14, as Brexit limits new fee loan access for most EU students (Source)
• Watkin Jones–Maslow Capital JV acquires 484-bed Bristol PBSA scheme valued at £101.7M near University of Bristol’s Temple Quarter campus (Source)
• YTL Developments secures £119M Nomura funding for 1,514-bed Bristol student housing scheme at Brabazon, set for autumn 2027 delivery (Source)
• Camden Council approves AHMM’s Camden Town Xchange with 244 student apartments and 49 affordable flats (Source)
• Fusion Group secures planning approval from Southampton City Council for 507-bed PBSA scheme (Source)
• Mansfield College plans Oxford PBSA redevelopment, replacing John Marsh Building with 174-bed scheme alongside new academic & communal facilities (Source)
• Watkin Jones posts £279.8M FY25 revenue, secures planning for 1,140 PBSA beds, with projects including 784-bed Glasgow development and 484-bed Bristol plan pending for approval (Source)

United States of America

• US first-year law school enrolment hits 13-year high at 42,817, up 8% from last year, following 18% rise in applicants and 5% growth in 2024 (Source)
• Trump administration threatens to seize Harvard patents worth hundreds of millions, testing Bayh-Dole law for the first time in 45 years (Source)
• US pushes H‑1B & H‑4 visa interviews for Indian applicants to late 2026 amid enhanced social media vetting (Source)
• GMH–AEW expand Power 4 student housing portfolio to 2,000+ beds with Clemson (633 beds) and Louisiana (293 beds) acquisitions (Source)
• Kennedy Wilson acquires 752-bed, 239-unit Kinetic student housing tower near Georgia Tech from Toll Brothers for $132M (Source)
• Landmark Properties, Manulife Investment Management to build 259-unit student housing project on South University Ave in Ann Arbor (Source)
• Affinius Capital finances $81.2M, 14-storey 408-bed student housing development near Arizona State University, opening Fall 2027 (Source)
• Cushman & Wakefield arranges $8M sale of 128-bed Wildcat Canyon Village student housing near University of Arizona in Tucson (Source)

Australia

• Australia’s international education sector urges renewed purpose at the 2025 Australian International Education Conference, stressing workforce, cultural exchange, and student benefits to rebuild trust and national support (Source)
• Australia sets 295,000 international student cap for 2026, up 25,000, rewarding universities with Southeast Asia engagement and student accommodation solutions (Source)
• Australia reaffirms commitment to international student safety and support during Sri Lanka visit by Assistant Minister Julian Hill, stressing protections after recent incidents and ongoing ties (Source)
• Scape buys permit-ready 2017 sq. m. Redfern site in Sydney for $49.5M to build 200 co-living student accommodation units (Source)
• Australia’s resilient real estate outlook highlighted by PGIM, with student housing tied to international student flows amid broader APAC rental growth and supply constraints (Source)
• HS Optimus sells Melbourne property for A$19.7M, previously permitted for purpose-built student accommodation development near major universities (Source)
• Brisbane CBD office block to become 1200-bed student accommodation, Australia’s first full office-to-student housing conversion, set to open for Semester 2 in 2026 (Source)

Canada

• Indian student numbers abroad fall for first time in three years to 1.882 million in 153 countries in 2025; Canada (427,000), US (~255,000) and UK lead destinations (Source)
• Canadian universities see first rise in undergraduate study‑permit approvals in five years, with rates rebounding to about 57% in 2025 (Source)
• Canada’s population falls 0.2% to ~41.6M in Q3 2025 - first quarterly decline since the pandemic, driven by a sharp drop in international student numbers after study-permit cuts (Source)
• Canada sees 60% drop in new international student arrivals in Jan-Oct 2025 (Source)
• Canada’s population falls 76,068 in Q3 2025 as non‑permanent residents - especially international students - decline under tightened immigration caps (Source)
• Canada shows Australia how to fix housing shortage, with Canada cutting immigration (including international student caps) to slow population growth and ease rents, while Australia increases student planning levels (Source)
• B.C. revokes Pacific Link College’s certification, shuts private school after finding it misled hundreds of international students about programs and work placements (Source)

Europe

• Western Europe study interest surges as Spain, Italy, Germany and France top student search traffic, while US interest drops 47% since 2023, per Keystone data (Source)
• International student search and enrolment data for 2025 shows mobility shifting from Big Four destinations toward Europe and Asia, with rising interest in Spain, Germany, France, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea and UAE (Source)
• Germany, UAE and New Zealand emerge as rising destinations; 75% of Indian students now use AI tools like ChatGPT to choose study-abroad programmes; affordability, scholarships and ROI outrank university rankings (Source)
• Eleven Dutch bachelor programmes will cap first-year places in their English-taught tracks from 2026 to better balance international and local student enrolment (Source)
• Ireland may cut student visas for English-language students, with ~60,000 visas issued annually and about half going to that sector, as government reviews migration controls (Source)
• Europe’s fastest 3D-printed student housing in Holstebro builds 36 apartments (39–50 sq. m.) in days using COBOD BOD3, with move-ins expected August 2026 (Source)
• EU’s Housing Commissioner Dan Jørgensen urges significantly more housing construction across the EU - especially for students and vulnerable groups - as part of the first European Affordable Housing Plan (Source)
• Greystar acquires a 724-bed student accommodation portfolio in Dublin and Galway, boosting its Irish PBSA holdings to 1,700+ beds under its Canvas brand (Source)