Amber Beat: Global Student Accommodation Market News - January 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 January 03-09, 2025

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United Kingdom

• Unite Group reports 66% bed sales for 2025-26, projected rental growth at 4-5% amid strong demand and 97-98% occupancy (Source)
• Yugo calls for more transparency in PBSA sector as 56% of UK and 64% of US students experience anxiety over accommodation decisions (Source)
• Goldman Sachs and Generation partners acquire £110M UK PBSA Portfolio, including 907-bed developments in Cardiff and Bournemouth (Source)
• Sunderland City Council submits planning for potential PBSA at Bridge House as part of £500M Riverside Sunderland Regeneration Project (Source)
• Herefordshire Council invests £253,679 in feasibility study for new student accommodation at College Road and Edgar Street sites (Source)
• AHMM redesigns Southwark Station scheme into 429-bed PBSA, adding 44 affordable homes in Central London (Source)
• L T Architects' 8-unit PBSA in Treforest approved by Rhondda Cynon Taf Council, with 3 parking spaces and ecological enhancements (Source)
• UPP Foundation funds £1,000 in sustainability projects at Exeter, Hull, and Leeds Beckett Universities, engaging students in global environmental challenges (Source)
• Urbanite Living completes 169-bed student accommodation handover in Glasgow, set to welcome students from January 2025 (Source)
• Empiric acquires 136-bed Tatton House in Manchester for £19.75 million, expanding Hathersage Road portfolio to over 1,000 beds (Source)

United States of America

• US considers ending OPT work permits, impacting Indian students and international pathways (Source)
• Palladius Capital Management acquires $579M portfolio, including 2,500+ units, multifamily and student housing properties across the U.S. (Source)
• Northern Michigan University approves $55M housing project for 384 students in two buildings on Presque Isle Avenue, Marquette; construction to start Fall 2025 (Source)
• Landmark Properties acquires 0.58-acre site for 241-unit student housing project, The Metropolitan, in Ann Arbor, at 1208 S. University Ave (Source)
• Landmark Properties begins construction on 397-bed The Mark Fort Collins at 255 Johnson Drive, Colorado; 193-unit student housing to open by Fall 2026 near CSU (Source)
• University of South Alabama purchases Traditions Apartments for $20.2M, adding 156 units near Old Shell Road to expand student housing (Source)
• Florida Tech plans 555-bed, six-story student housing complex at Babcock Street and University Boulevard, set to enhance campus housing (Source)
• FAMU moves forward with $60M, 500-bed residence hall on Althea Gibson Way, Tallahassee, designed to resemble traditional campus architecture (Source)
• Florida A&M invests $11M in 700-bed "Venom Landing" dorm, set to open in August, as part of a larger campus housing expansion in Tallahassee (Source)

Australia

• Australian Government mandates ‘Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE)’ replacing previously accepted Letters of Offer for all student visa applications to enhance the integrity of the visa system, w.e.f. January 1, 2025 (Source)
• Australian Government introduces informal cap on visa approvals, set to prioritise visa applications for universities until they achieve 80% of proposed international student allocations for 2025 (Source)
• Australian Universities Accord outlines new plan for higher education, encourages universities to double number of domestic students annually from 900,000 today to 1.8 million by 2025 (Source)
• Australian Government replaces controversial Ministerial Direction 107 with MD111, introducing caps from previous unsuccessful legislation to control net migration of international students (Source)
• University of Tasmania (UTAS) introduces scholarships to prospective students enrolled in 170+ degree programs for class of 2025, to promote creativity and brilliance (Source)

Canada

• Canada's post-Trudeau visa reforms focus on quality over quantity, ensuring long-term opportunities for serious students, including Indian nationals (Source)
• Canada introduces new study permit caps and PGWP eligibility changes to manage housing shortages and labor market needs (Source)
• Canada’s new immigration policy creates uncertainty for Camosun College students as federal changes impact international enrolment and post-graduation work permits (Source)
• Graduate-student stipends in Canada fall below the poverty line, adversely affecting both domestic and international students across the country (Source)
• Pomerleau invests in $135M, 18-storey Oakridge student housing project with 450 beds in Vancouver, expected completion in about 30 months (Source)

Europe

• Germany records record-high of international students with 400,000 in 2023-24; projection of 405,000 students for 2024-25 has been revealed by German Academic Exchange Service (Source)
• Greystar acquires 1,000-bed Point Campus in Dublin for €150M, the largest off-campus student accommodation complex in the country and Greystar's first venture into Ireland market (Source)
• Madrid, Spain takes lead in student residences, with rooms averaging €780/month, 11.6% higher than Barcelona’s €699, whereas studios are more expensive at €1,305 monthly (Source)
• Savills to add 600 beds in Malaga, Spain with future projects, currently has a portfolio of 21 student residences, Urban Planning Department to activate more projects in the city (Source)
• Echo Investment and Archicom to develop 2 student housing projects including a dormitory for 630 students at al. 29 Listopada and another on Wita Stwosza Street for nearly 600 students in Poland (Source)
• Amsterdam receives €3 million in subsidies from Ministry of Housing for constructing 3 student housing projects in South, Southeast and East (Source)
• Collegia Student Residence prepares for new investment in Gdańsk in Poland combining functions of modern student residence, hotel and service space, intended to accommodate 500 students (Source)
• Construction to begin in mid-December 2025 for 250 student homes on Westblaak, Rotterdam and 413 student homes on Benthemstraat, Agniesebuurt in Netherlands, featuring independent student homes and rooms (Source)
• Over 60 student apartments to be built in Klagenfurt, Austria offering housing for 128 students, targeted monthly rent starting €230 with affordability as top priority (Source)
• Becken Group withdraws purchase agreement to build 1,500 student apartments in the KWU towers at Berliner Strasse 291-299 in Offenbach's Kaiserlei district due to unstable economic conditions (Source)