Amber Beat Global Student Accommodation Market News - February 2026, Week 01

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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 01-February 06, 2026

United Kingdom

• UK undergraduate demand hits record 619,360 applicants for 2026 entry, driven by 5% rise in domestic 18-year-olds and growing concentration at higher-tariff universities (Source)
• UK Home Office visa delays extend into February, disrupting January intake as universities withdraw CAS to avoid breaching new compliance metrics (Source)
• UK HE enrolments stand at 2,863,180 (-1%) in 2024/25, first degrees up 2%, other UG enrolments down 7%, PG taught enrolments lower 5%, PG research enrolments rise 11%, HESA reports (Source)
• UK international student numbers fall 6% to 685,565 in 2024/25, driven by 10% drop in postgraduate taught entrants, with sharp declines at Sheffield (-26%), Cardiff (-22%) and Leeds (-22%) amid falls from India (-12%), China and Nigeria (Source)
• Nearly 30% of UK students earned first-class degrees in 2024-25, up sharply from ~13% in 2006-07, sparking scrutiny of academic standards (Source)
• Kent and Greenwich exchange contracts to formalise merger, confirming single legal entity from 1 August and unified governance (Source)
• UK International Education Strategy pivots from 30% student growth target to education exports as Asia drives TNE expansion across China, India and Sri Lanka (Source)
• £3.4B flows into UK PBSA in 2025 as investors pivot from development to operational and portfolio assets (Source)
• BNP Paribas forecasts resilient UK PBSA outlook as UCAS applications rise 7.4% and rental growth moderates to ~4% (Source)
• Allies and Morrison complete new Cambridge student housing cluster, delivering 245 rooms commissioned by St John’s College (Source)
• Unite Students and Manchester Metropolitan University finalise £390M joint venture to redevelop Cambridge Halls with 2,302 new student beds (Source)
• Bowmer + Kirkland appointed for £240M Unite Students-Newcastle University Castle Leazes redevelopment, set to deliver 2,009 rooms by 2029/30 (Source)
• HIG Capital–Primus JV refinances two UK PBSA schemes with £80M Affinius Capital loan, covering 790 beds in Leeds and Lancaster (Source)

United States of America

• US Education Department proposes overhaul of federal student loans with graduate borrowing caps and streamlined repayment plans under Working Families Tax Cuts Act (Source)
• FY27 H-1B lottery shifts to wage-weighted system, increasing odds for senior, higher-salary roles over entry-level hires, registration announced for March 4–19 (Source)
• Texas freezes H-1B hiring at public universities through 2027 as Florida considers similar ban, threatening faculty recruitment (Source)
• President Trump threatens to withhold federal funding from Harvard, seeks $1B in damages amid ongoing discussions on campus governance and compliance issues (Source)
• US universities reaffirm commitment to international students as enrolments fall 17% nationwide and competitors gain ground (Source)
• US H-1B visa freeze risks harming higher education as international talent pipelines tighten, universities and experts caution (Source)
• Landmark Properties acquires two student housing communities near Texas Tech University in Lubbock, adding 1,288 beds to portfolio (Source)
• Gilbane and University of Rhode Island break ground on 1,100+ bed, multi-phase on-campus housing project for 2027 delivery (Source)
• $50M Meta-backed partnership to expand Sacramento State into Capitol Mall with student housing, public affairs and AI facilities (Source)

Australia

• Australia’s new migration framework begins 2 Feb 2026, tightening English, work-rights and on-shore visa switching, forcing genuine study proof (Source)
• More than 14,873 international students left Australian universities within their first year in 2023; CQ University’s first-year dropout rate hit 57.2% (Source)
• 2026 predicted to be another strong year for Australian student housing investment as 2025 saw over $1.88B in PBSA transaction volume, with a $345M acquisition at ~$471K per bed driving continued investor interest (Source)
• Australia’s PBSA boom in 2026 driven by 1.6M enrolled students vs ~90,000 private beds, $1.88B+ in 2025 transactions, and 40,000 beds in development spurs finance opportunities (Source)
• Australia’s Heitman and Erben to build 1,146-bed, 19-storey PBSA in Perth CBD on 37,000 sq. m. site, opening for students in February 2028 (Source)
• Cedar Pacific lodges DA for 306-unit BTR in Turner, Canberra, with studios to three-bed units across three buildings on 7,070 sqm site bought for $30M (Source)

Canada

• Canada’s IRCC warns international students against visa fee scams, fraud and misrepresentation; false information can cause study-permit refusals and up to five-year entry bans (Source)
• Canada’s foreign student enrolment fell by 273,570 (-27%) from December 2023 to November 2025; new arrivals down 60% as student numbers drop to 721,230 (Source)
• Canada’s international education reforms risk overcorrection, undermining trusted visa pathways like SDS, hurting compliant colleges and eroding global student confidence (Source)
• Canada sets 2026 study-permit cap at 408,000, exempts Master’s/PhD from provincial quota, tightens PGWP English thresholds, and raises off-campus work hours to 24/week (Source)
• Guelph student housing crisis worsens, ‘‘every reduced bed pushes students into a tougher rental market,’’ residents urge action amid dwindling accommodation options (Source)
• Yarra unveils design-led student housing platform with proposed 10-storey, 153-unit residence across from University of Guelph to boost livable campus housing (Source)

Europe

• Europe emerges as top study-visa and career choice for Indian students as India-EU FTA boosts mobility, post-study work clarity; Europe became second-largest destination in 2025, Germany leads growth (Source)
• Europe’s PBSA investment surged in 2025 with transaction volumes up over 76 % year-on-year to about €5.9B+, highlighting strong student housing demand (Source)
• Netherlands’ new coalition pledges €1.5B boost to education and science, reversing prior cuts and preserving English-taught programs, easing student and researcher uncertainty (Source)
• Indian student enrolments in 2025 rose in Europe as US-bound numbers fell about 30% amid stricter visa curbs, with Germany, Italy, France and others gaining interest (Source)
• Netherlands student housing crisis: rising rents (€979 average in Amsterdam, ~€700 nationally), 43 % students lived at home in 2023, 17,800 fewer private rooms, high costs delay moving out (Source)
• Kajima Properties Europe breaks ground on 517-bed PBSA scheme in Gdańsk, targeting September 2027 opening (Source)