Amber Beat Global Student Accommodation Market News - January 2026, 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 January 15-January 21, 2026

United Kingdom

• UK drops international student enrolment targets, shifts to expanding education exports to £40bn by 2030 and overseas campuses, creating uncertainty for future students (Source)
• UK scraps 600,000-student annual target, instead backing overseas education hubs (Source)
• UK international student visa applications hit four-year low: December 29,300 vs 46,000 in 2022 and 35,200 in 2024, stalling post-2025 growth trend (Source)
• UK Okra Investments–Investec PBSA joint venture acquires 1,300 student beds near Russell Group universities, plans further UK student accommodation expansions (Source)
• UK residents oppose large student housing plans near green space, saying new blocks are “out of keeping” with area’s character, per BBC report on accommodation proposals (Source)
• UK, US study finds UK voters without A-levels twice as likely to support right-wing parties; degree holders more pro-diversity and tolerant on immigration than less educated peers (Source)
• Coventry council approves change of Waters Court from exclusively student accommodation to mixed student and serviced apartments to tackle high vacancies, with conditions on bookings and student priority (Source)

United States of America

• Indian student enrolments in US universities plunged ~75% in Trump’s first year of his second term amid tighter visa scrutiny, limited interview slots and hesitancy to apply (Source)
• Nigerian student interest in studying in the US has dropped by over 50% since the expanded travel ban, with many now turning to European and other destinations (Source)
• Harvard’s Indian student enrolments fell to 545 in Fall 2025, a ~31% drop amid Trump-era immigration visa tightening, despite overall international numbers rising (Source)
• US law students from 18 schools urge the American Bar Association to review hiring norms amid concerns that recruitment cycles are increasingly moving earlier, disrupting education and well-being (Source)
• US Education Department delays wage garnishment plans for defaulted federal student loan borrowers, pausing involuntary collections as it finalizes new repayment options affecting millions (Source)
• Harvard enrolled 1,452 Chinese and 545 Indian students in Fall 2025, making China the largest group at Harvard despite India leading overall US international student numbers (Source)
• Times Higher Education World University Rankings by Subject 2026 released, assessing universities across 11 subjects with performance on teaching, research and international outlook (Source)
• US Education and Labor Departments launch new partnership to align college programs with workforce needs, detailing staff integration and grant coordination to boost student career readiness (Source)
• US college enrollment rose 1% in Fall 2025 to 19.4M students, but international student numbers, especially graduate enrollment, fell (Source)
• Congress rejects Trump’s proposed Education Department funding cuts in bipartisan 2026 spending plan, preserving key student support programs and blocking steep reductions (Source)
• Harrison Street JV to develop 247‑unit, 862‑bed “Rambler” student housing community in Blacksburg, Virginia, opening in 2028 (Source)
• Compton College student housing nears completion with 151 units for up to 251 homeless/low‑income students on campus, $83M project due Summer 2027 (Source)
• Henderson Park, Student Quarters buy 528‑bed “The Thompson” student housing near Texas State University in San Marcos, with upgrades planned (Source)
• Henderson Park and Student Quarters acquire 132-unit, 528-bed “The Thompson” student housing near Texas State University in San Marcos, entering the Texas market (Source)
• Plans filed in Medway for 150-home development and proposed six-storey student flats block among latest local planning applications (Source)
• Newcastle city centre plans show a 21-storey, £60m student housing tower proposal to expand high-rise student living in the city (Source)

Australia

• Australian universities plan stable but costlier international recruitment in 2026, with a 295K sector New Overseas Student Commencements allocations (NOSC) cap, up 9% from last year, rising tuition fees for international students by 6.3% between ‘25 and ‘26 (Source)
• Australia High Commissioner praises 700K ASEAN students’ 20-year contribution to Australian education and people-to-people ties; Dept. of Education data reveals 833,041 international students from Jan to Oct ‘25 (Source)
• Knight Frank sells 37-unit Sydney co-living block for $21.5M at $581,000 per bedroom, a national benchmark in co-living/PBSA transactions near the University of Sydney (Source)
• Northern Territory Government fast-tracks conversion of vacant Darwin CBD buildings into student accommodation, reducing approval times and easing housing shortfall as 5,577 international enrolments rise (Source)
• University of Melbourne partners with Australian Public Policy Institute (APPI) to strengthen public policy impact by connecting research expertise with policymakers nationwide (Source)
• International students are increasingly “course-hopping” to exploit Australian visas as a backdoor to work, with attrition rising to 17.4% in 2023, a report by Menzies Research Centre (MRC) reveals (Source)
• Australia will ban education providers from paying commissions to agents for onshore international student transfers after March 31 2026, to curb non-genuine course moves and strengthen sector integrity (Source)

Canada

• Ontario colleges project deficits of 1.5B by 2027-28 due to ongoing frozen tuition and shrinking international enrolment threaten programs and student access (Source)
• Canada’s IRCC confirms no changes to the 2026 Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) eligible courses list, maintaining current program eligibility for international students (Source)
• Canada’s overall foreign worker and international student numbers fell 14,954 between 2024–25—the first annual drop in years amid tighter immigration rules, with Toronto and Vancouver hardest hit (Source)
• Canada study urges government to prioritize international student housing needs after interviews with 24 students from 14 countries, highlighting policy gaps and affordability challenges (Source)
• Cost tops Canadian student housing priorities in new survey of 6,039 students from 96 foreign countries, from 20 universities in 16 cities across Canada; only 36.1% said their rent was affordable (Source)
• Vancouver approves 25-storey, 182-unit GEC Langara student housing tower at 6428–6438 Cambie St, providing ~650 beds near Langara-49th Avenue SkyTrain (Source)
• Canadian universities leverage real-estate deals, partnerships and private sector housing strategies to expand student accommodation and manage rising enrolment and housing demand (Source)

Europe

• More Indian students pushed to consider Europe as an alternate study destination as Trump visa crackdown sees US cancel about 8,000 student visas in 2025 (Source)
• Indian students pivot to value destinations: nearly 59,000 in Germany, UAE interest up 55 times, Leap Scholar Year-End Report 2024-25 reveals (Source)
• Greece eyes international students as traditional destinations cool; reforms allow four branch campuses for 2025-26 to boost global enrolments (Source)
• Lyon College expands study-abroad options with new exchange partnerships at UCAM in Spain and The Hague University in the Netherlands, guaranteeing credit transfer and affordable overseas study (Source)
• Europe’s new European Affordable Housing Plan aims to tackle the EU housing crisis, including student housing, by boosting supply, cutting red tape (Source)
• Ireland allocates €41m to upgrade third-level campuses with building, accessibility, safety and tech improvements for students across multiple universities and colleges (Source)
• Luxembourg investor buys Trier student housing: 315-unit complex €12.75M purchase, to refurbish and expand near universities for Spring 2026 reopening (Source)