Amber Beat: Global Student Accommodation Market News - January 2025, Week 05

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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 24-30, 2025

United Kingdom

• UK Government proposes crackdown on rogue higher education operators, targeting £2M fraud and 341 unregulated franchised provider (Source)
• UK Universities face financial crisis in 2025, with 72% expected to operate at a deficit and £1.6 billion sector shortfall (Source)
• UK Government proposes crackdown on rogue higher education operators, targeting £2M fraud and 341 unregulated franchised provider (Source)
• Scotland proposes new graduate visa for international students to boost economy, worth £4.75 billion annually (Source)
• mys Living takes over management of 5 PBSA developments with over 2,000 beds across UK cities (Source)
• Nottingham’s £70M Bendigo Building topped out, offering 417 studios, 208 cluster apartments and 36 accessible rooms with $8M contribution to local economy (Source)
• Paragon Bank funds £32M, 138 unit student accommodation scheme in Cambridge for Cammaro Limited (Source)
• Veld Capital acquires 2 Plymouth PBSA assets with 513 rooms amid strong demand in an under-supplied market (Source)
• Legal & General acquires £35M PBSA scheme in Edinburgh with 151 beds, marking first direct-let purchase for a managed fund (Source)
• PCM Property Investment secures planning for new Stirling PBSA with 18 student bedrooms with sustainable design (Source)
• Cubex secures approval for 22-storey accommodation to house 531 students in Bristol’s Temple Quarter (Source)
• Linden Hill to develop £32M, ‘Maple House PBSA’ comprising 383 new units in Birmingham (Source)
• Watkin Jones returns to profit with £9.2M pre-tax profit in 2024, driven by PBSA sales of 657 beds (Source)

United States of America

• US removes COVID-19 vaccination mandate for green card applicants, signaling a shift in immigration policy under Trump’s leadership (Source)
• US executive orders increase visa vetting, potential travel bans, and deportations, raising concerns for international students and higher education institutions (Source)
• Trump’s executive orders target immigration policies, with a focus on enhanced vetting, birthright citizenship, and DEI changes, impacting international students in higher education in US (Source)
• University of Texas at Arlington’s $116.2M Maverick Hall to add 654 beds, set for Fall 2025 opening (Source)
• University of Georgia announces $115.7 million Creswell Hall renovation project to upgrade 900+ student beds, scheduled for 2027-2028 (Source)
• $105M UnionWest at Creative Village, 644-bed student housing tower in Orlando, sold to Provident Resources Group (Source)
• Portland State University plans $85 million, 550-bed student housing project on Park Blocks, set to open in Fall 2028 (Source)
• Landmark Properties achieves major milestones in 2024 with $15 billion in assets, $4.6 billion in construction volume, and continued growth in student housing (Source)
• UMass Amherst UMBA seek proposals for campus housing modernization and expansion through public-private partnership (Source)
• Emerson College doubles down on commitment to protect undocumented, international students amid Trump’s immigration policy changes (Source)
• Utah House passes HB269, restricting university housing policies for transgender students amid constitutional concerns and LGBTQ+ community opposition (Source)

Australia

• Australia's student visa approvals hit record levels in late 2024, with nearly 17,000 granted in November, reflecting strong international education demand despite policy shifts for controlling net migration (Source)
• Scape launches Australia's first $6 billion open-ended student housing fund, attracting investors to sector poised for strong growth over the next decade (Source)
• Adaptive reuse project worth $110 million to be transformed into Western Australia’s largest heritage redevelopment in Fremantle, to accommodate longer-term student residents among other tenants (Source)

Canada

• Canada to issue 437,000 study permits in 2025, reducing international student intake by 10% to ease housing and service pressures (Source)
• Canadian study permit approvals fall 45% in 2024, far below target due to new caps and policy changes (Source)
• Construction begins on 266-bed student housing project at Vancouver Island University, Nanaimo, with $103 million investment (Source)
• Montreal announces 1,030-unit affordable housing project at Îlot Voyageur Sud, including 430 student units, set to address downtown housing crisis (Source)
• North Island College opens student housing applications for Fall 2025, marking milestone with first-ever accommodations at Comox Valley campus (Source)

Europe

• Europe's student housing shortage projected to reach 3.2 million beds over next five years; potential €450 billion investment opportunity as 10% student population growth expected (Source)
• In AY 2023-24, Spain observed 2.3% increase in university enrollments, with 1.76 million students, with 75% residing in different cities from their residence while 30% relocate to another province for studies (Source)
• By 2034/35, Ireland's student accommodation demand could exceed 115,000 beds, far surpassing current supply of around 47,000 (Source)
• Latest report by BNP Paribas Real Estate Poland reveals only 11% of Polish students can be accommodated in student housing; investor interest in PBSA segment expected to rise in coming years (Source)
• Resa, Spain's leading university residence operator, to manage new 300-bed student residence in Almería, expanding portfolio to 44 residences across 23 cities with over 11,500 accommodation places (Source)
• GSA appoints Linda Delmedico as first employee and Regional Development Manager in Italy, marking a key milestone in European growth strategy (Source)
• Trinity Properties receives planning permission from Galway City Council to develop new PBSA scheme with 9 bedrooms at 7a Saint Francis Street in Galway, France (Source)
• LP Promotion to develop student residence with 133 apartments near University of La Roche-sur-Yon, France expected to be completed in coming months (Source)
• 12-storey dormitory for 200 students completed at Naval Academy in Oksywie, Poland featuring high-end amenities and terrace facing city of Gdynia (Source)
• Survey of 7,500 students reveals student rents in Ghent, Belgium rose to an average of €544.11/month in 2024, with 42.4% of students finding them too expensive (Source)
• Meyboom building in Brussels, Belgium set for renovation into sustainable 219-unit residence to house 200+ students, to be developed by ION and Belfius Immo (Source)