Amber Beat: Global Student Accommodation Market News - February 2025, Week 02

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Missed keeping track of all the latest happenings in the student accommodation market?

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 07-13, 2025

United Kingdom

• UK student housing sees record £473M in 2024 deals despite 9% rent hike and decline in international student numbers (Source)
• UK Lords Committee calls for review of dependents ban amid 16% drop in student visa applications and £1B loss in tuition fees (Source)
• Vita Group secures £43M funding for 260-bed ‘Vita Student Leazes Park’ PBSA development in Newcastle (Source)
• PGIM secures £20M HSBC financing for the refurbishment of 2,948-bed PBSA portfolio across UK (Source)
• PBSA investment reaches £3.9bn in 2024, with 16,382 new beds delivered and 63 schemes completed (Source)
• Lucy Cavendish College acquires 355 PBSA studios, expanding total rooms to 600 amid Cambridge housing demand (Source)
• TPG Angelo Gordon and Hollybrook launch £200M joint venture to develop a 2,000-bed PBSA portfolio, starting with the 271-bed Wimbledon Scheme (Source)
• UK Universities face deepfake threat in automated interviews with 0.15% of 20,000 international student applicants using AI fraud, reports Enroly (Source)

United States of America

• Student housing preleasing reaches 47.1% as average rents hit record $909 per bedroom in December 2024 (Source)
• Trump signs executive order to deport international students involved in anti-Israel protests, sparking free speech concerns (Source)
• International students in the U.S. face uncertainty as strict immigration policies limit job opportunities and visa options (Source)
• Cal Poly San Luis Obispo launches $1 billion student housing project with 4,200 beds, first phase ready by fall 2026 (Source)
• Visa delays disrupt study plans for UK and US-bound students, pushing interest toward alternative destinations (Source)
• US Congress urged to tighten visa rules as reports claim 50,000 students overstayed in 2023, sector leaders dispute data (Source)
• SDSU Imperial Valley and Imperial Valley College begin $17 million student housing project in Calexico, set for Fall 2026 completion (Source)
• QuadReal funds Core Spaces’ 1,000-bed Hub Packard student housing at University of Michigan, set for June 2027 completion (Source)
• GTIS Partners and RISE to develop 504-bed student housing at RISE Oxford Farms near Ole Miss by 2026-27 (Source)
• SVSU approves additional $6 million, bringing total investment to $12.3 million for 96-bed apartment-style student housing, set to open by August 2026 in Saginaw, Michigan (Source)
• Fairmont State Middle College transitions to off-campus housing model, Prichard Hall to reopen for general student housing in Fall 2025 (Source)
• Palomar College delays on-campus student housing project due to financial crisis, seeks private investment (Source)
• US aid freeze disrupts African higher education partnerships, threatening scholarships and research initiatives (Source)

Australia

• Following the Adelaide University merger, a $350M, 31-story student tower to be built in Adelaide CBD for housing 1,000+ students, with construction to begin in late 2025 (Source)
• Property Council of Australia’s ‘Innovation & Excellence Awards’ introduce new category to recognize growth of PBSA sector, highlighting its impact and investment in Australia’s property industry (Source)

Canada

• Brookfield invests up to $100M in Forum Asset Management’s REIIF, backing 10,500-bed student housing portfolio across Canada (Source)
• Ontario and Quebec to receive most international students as Canada caps 2025 study permits at 437,000 (Source)
• Okanagan College begins construction on $24M, 101-bed student housing project at Penticton campus, set to open in Fall 2026 (Source)
• Forum Campus Suites breaks ground on 841-bed QUAD Phase 3 at York University’s Keele Campus, set for completion by 2026-27 (Source)
• Trent University to add 1,300 student residence spaces and 200 senior care units in Peterborough by 2028 (Source)
• GEC to build 51-story Education Mega Centre in Surrey, housing 1,100 students, with construction, set to begin next year (Source)
• Mapletree considers $1 billion Singapore REIT IPO backed by 22,000-bed student housing portfolio across U.K., U.S., and Canada (Source)

Europe

• Bonard’s Student Housing Annual Report reveals PBSA rental rates in Europe and UK rose at the fastest rate in last 6 years, with single studio average prices up 7.4%, from 7.0% last year (Source)
• GSA secures refinancing deal worth €175m for four of its purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) properties in Ireland (Source)
• Gavari acquires ‘Quinta Caparica’ in Portugal for €6 million for student residence with 400 beds in Caparica (Almada), Lisbon (Source)
• First ‘The Social Hub’ to open doors on March 1, 2025 in Porto, Portugal with 39 residential apartments to be purposed for multiple tenant types including students (Source)
• Monza, Italy to welcome its first student residence, US-style campus with 500 beds, agreement concluded between State Property Agency, the Lombardy Region, the Municipality of Monza & the University of Milan-Bicocca (Source)
• Work concludes for 160-bed university student residence in via De Nicola in San Miniato, with rent starting at €250/month (Source)
• New student residence in Logroño with 97 rooms (131 places) with investment of €12M, to open doors in early 2026 (Source)
• Construction ongoing on modern 7-story dormitory for students of University of Warmia and Mazury at ul. Warszawska 99, Olsztyn, set for completion in 2025 (Source)
• Councilor Mulville advocates for land in Santry Demesne, Dublin to be utilized for Trinity College Dublin’s student accommodation with subsidized prices to address housing demand (Source)