Amber Beat: Global Student Accommodation Market News - July 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 July 04 - July 10, 2025

United Kingdom

• UK universities see 61% drop in QS rankings as global competition intensifies; seven Irish and six Hong Kong universities climb (Source)
• British Council launches new agency management course under AQF after certifying over 17,000 agents and 38,000 counsellors across 120 countries (Source)
• Unite Students portfolio hits £4.9B as 2025/26 demand surges with 29% rise in visa applications (Source)
• HG Construction wins first Birmingham PBSA project with 622 beds across 4 blocks up to 17 storeys for Fusion Group (Source)
• True Sheffield’s 28-storey PBSA nears completion with 494 beds, set to become city’s second-tallest building (Source)
• Southwark Council approves 27-storey Ilderton Wharf scheme with 477 student rooms and 79 affordable homes (Source)
• GRAHAM’s 16-storey Weavers’ Hall to deliver 459-bed PBSA as Belfast’s first Passivhaus-certified student scheme (Source)
• Gamuda and QIP expand Beresford Street PBSA to 419 beds with £41.5M phase two, total GDV now £144.5M (Source)
• University of Warwick begins £679-bed Claycroft Residences refurbishment, first 266 rooms ready by November 2025 (Source)
• Atir Hospitality secures €28M from Santander for 235-bed student residence in central Barcelona as PBSA demand tops 460,000 unmet beds across Spain (Source)
• Savills markets Cadnam Hall PBSA in Birmingham with 124 beds, targeting £12.7M sale at 6.5% yield (Source)
• Southampton approves 20-storey ‘matchstick’ Seaview Place with 170 student studio flats despite local concerns (Source)
• Unite Group secures £400M refinancing from Rothesay backed by 23 PBSA assets across 15 UK cities (Source)

United States of America

• U.S. universities face $34.4B loss as visa denials rise; Harvard, NYU and Columbia at risk as 41% rejection rate hits international student enrollment (Source)
• US student visa approvals for Indians drop 27% from March–May 2024 amid Trump administration crackdowns and stricter vetting policies (Source)
• US mulls fixed-stay visa rule, over 420,000 Indian students could face disruptions amid policy shift ending ‘duration of status’ flexibility (Source)
• US enforces 5-year public social media check for visas, sparking concerns over digital privacy and political profiling (Source)
• Trump Administration revives 2020 plan to cap student visas, risking delays for 300K+ international students yearly (Source)
• Moody’s warns 11% of U.S. colleges with 20%+ international students face credit risk amid Trump visa cuts and 15% projected drop in foreign enrolment (Source)
• The Dinerstein Companies ranked top student housing firm for 7th year, operates 3,988 beds across 7 cities with 4,066 more in pipeline (Source)
• Greystar to build 1,503-bed student housing complex at Penn State’s University Park in State College, replacing parking lot; first two buildings with 850 beds to open in 2028 (Source)
• University of Mississippi, Greystar to deliver 2,700-bed student housing by 2027 in Oxford via public-private partnership (Source)
• Supreme Clean expands to 50 properties nationwide since 2021, bids for 24,000-unit student housing turnover in California and Washington (Source)
• Metro State University breaks ground on $115M, 550-bed Summit House student housing tower in Denver, opening Fall 2027 on Auraria Parkway (Source)
• D’Youville University to break ground in Jan 2026 on new apartment-style student housing at 443 West Avenue, Buffalo, ready for 2027–2028 academic year (Source)
• Baytree 707, a new student housing complex near Valdosta State University, to open August 2025 with 2- and 3-bedroom units priced from $660 per person (Source)

Australia

• Australia’s push to cap net migration at 250,000 in 2024-25 tightens visa pathways, with Indian student visas dropping over 50% to 50,516. (Source)
• Australia’s recent visa reforms lead to 300,000 fewer international student commencements by April 2025 vs. late 2024, sparking concerns over future skill & labor shortages. (Source)
• Australia’s student visa fee raises from AU$1,600 to AU$2,000 effective from July 1,  2025 reinforce visa integrity, making it world’s most expensive visa; generated AU$760 million over 4 years. (Source)
• Australia's PBSA market rebounds post-election, with 11,820 beds under construction nationally, adding 819 in Semester 1 with total pipeline of 36,424 beds. (Source)
• Victorian Government launches AU$5 million “Yes to International Students Fund,” awarding grants of up to AU$280,000 to 16 education providers to establish offshore campuses and programs. (Source)
• Charles Sturt University plans to cut jobs and save AU$35 million by 2027 after international student numbers plummeted from 8,460 in 2019 to just 10% (approx. 850) in 2024, driving a significant revenue shortfall. (Source)

Canada

• Canada hikes minimum living expense for international students to CA$22,895 from Sept 1, raising total annual costs up to CA$50K (Source)
• Canada sees 50% drop in new international study permits in 2025 amid caps and fund hikes, raising tuition and talent concerns nationwide (Source)
• Canada’s rental markets see 2-8% drop in average asking rents in major cities as immigration caps curb housing demand, says CMHC (Source)
• Canada reassesses 2025 student visa caps as housing demand and university budgets strain under record international enrolment (Source)
• Fitzrovia to invest $200M per site for student housing near TMU, Queen’s, Guelph, and Western to help deliver 400,000 new beds by 2031 (Source)
• Dr. Dawn Parker proposes converting parking lots in Toronto and Mississauga into transit-friendly housing to ease shortages and cut car reliance (Source)

Europe

• Norway proposes fee flexibility for non-EU students after 80% drop in new enrolments; non-EEA student numbers nearly halved since 2023 tuition policy (Source)
• Speedwell secures PLN 100m BNP Paribas loan for Milestone Warsaw Mokotów PBSA with 675 beds, completion by 2026/27 (Source)
• Student housing listings drop 30% in university cities in Netherlands, fewer than 5,800 units available ahead of academic year (Source)
• Bain-backed Clonskeagh student housing approved for 439 beds on former Smurfit Paper Mills site in Dublin (Source)
• City of Ghent to impose €190 annual student housing tax from 2026, expected to raise €3M; student council slams move amid housing shortage in Belgium, Germany (Source)
• Finland housing aid cuts to affect 150,000 students from August, support for those renting from parents drops from €344 to €83 monthly (Source)
• Rome approves resolution to guarantee housing rights with 31,815 homes targeted for those excluded from the market, amid demand for 71,290 units by 2032 (Source)
• San Sebastian’s StepHouse student residence to open Sept 1 with 354 beds in restored heritage building (Source)