Amber Beat: Global Student Accommodation Market News - June 2025, Week 03

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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 June 06 - June 19, 2025

United Kingdom

• UK international student visa applications up 30% in early 2025 with 76,400 filed between Jan-May 2025, signalling a strong rebound in enrolments ahead of the peak July–September intake (Source)
• Amber launches industry’s first “Amber Student Housing Fest” to offer limited-time deals for students headed to UK, US, Australia & more HE destinations; partners with 1,000 global education firms to reach 200K+ international students (Source)
• UK maintains 4% average student visa refusal rate in 2024, but Q1 2025 sees spikes in key markets; grant rates rise for India & Nigeria but fell for Pakistan, Nepal & Bangladesh (Source)
• Belfast Council greenlights £65M, 895-bed student housing blocks at Corporation Street, Belfast, allowing 50% of rooms to be used for overnight summer (Source)
• GRAHAM Investment Projects secures planning approval for a £70M, 25-storey PBSA with 410 beds at 138 Hydepark Street, Glasgow, set to complete by 2028 (Source)
• Glasgow approves £60M LIV Student Broomielaw PBSA with 531 beds on Carrick Street; construction to start March 2026, opening set for September 2028 (Source)
• Glasgow City Council has approves Borron Partners’ plan to build 454 student flats on vacant Port Dundas site in North Glasgow (Source)
• S Harrison and GMI complete 303-bed Raffles Hall PBSA at James Street, York for September 2025 intake, comprising studios and clusters; property to be managed by Homes for Students (Source)
• Plans submitted to transform former Edinburgh bingo hall into 200-bed PBSA complex at 26 Manderston Street in Leith, Edinburgh, with council approval expected soon (Source)

United States of America

• US international student population hits 1.58M in 2024 with 27% from India; new data reveals sharp 28% drop in Indian enrolments amid visa delays and funding cuts (Source)
• Trump’s student visa clampdown threatens $43.8B economic impact and 1.1M international enrollments, sparking policy concerns at top US universities like Harvard and UC Davis (Source)
• Trump's visa freeze halts plans for Indian students eyeing US colleges, sparking anxiety among Columbia and top university admits ahead of August intake (Source)
• Trump administration considers expanding US travel ban to 36 more countries, raising global alarm over immigration restrictions and foreign student removals (Source)
• Trump softens stance on foreign students after steep 28% drop in Indian enrolments; calls hosting them an "honour" amid ongoing visa chaos and policy reversals (Source)
• Amazon leads OPT hiring in 2024 with 5,379 jobs; Microsoft, Google among top US employers for international students as STEM OPT jobs surge 54% (Source)
• UNC unveils $1B housing master plan with 3,450 new beds, major renovations and a new 700-bed dorm on North Campus by 2028 as part of 10-year student housing overhaul in Chapel Hill (Source)
• Nitya Capital secures $700M refinancing for 18-property multifamily and student housing portfolio across Dallas, Nashville, Phoenix, and more (Source)
• Morgan Stanley and Scion to acquire $262M, 2,000-bed student housing portfolio near University of Mississippi in Oxford, including 600 units across six properties (Source)
• Colgate University secures $105M alumni funding to build Lower Campus student housing with new residence halls and events center in Hamilton, NY (Source)
• Kalamazoo College breaks ground on $55M sustainable dorm project with 218 beds at Catherine and West Main streets, set to open in fall 2027 for juniors and seniors (Source)
• Purdue plans 5,320-bed, 16-building campus expansion in Indianapolis; first tower underway near Michigan and West, opening May 2027 (Source)

Australia

• Industry leaders call for innovative accommodation solutions to address the urgent housing crisis; Student Accommodation Council’s latest data finds international students occupancy less than 6% of available housing in Australia (Source)
• Australian student lender reported a 300% surge in international-student loan inquiries; driven by visa halts, increased vetting, and funding restrictions on U.S. universities under Trump’s administration (Source)
• Scape Lachlan, a new PBSA precinct near University of New South Wales, rapidly rises with 2 towers (18 and 9 storeys), set to deliver modern, community-focused living as part of Scape Australia’s significant investment along Anzac Parade in NSW (Source)
• Chinese students contributed A$1.25 billion at University of Sydney and A$1.087 billion at UNSW in 2024 (around 32% of each university’s total annual revenue), with Chinese enrolments making up 78% and 77% of their international student income, respectively (Source)
• 25 out of 36 Australian universities, making up about 70% of the total, dropped in global rankings as per QS World University Rankings 2026, with stricter international student caps and policy changes (Source)
• University of Newcastle’s new City Campus Student Accommodation project gets approval, offering 445 beds in inner-city location, designed to help address critical shortage of student housing & revitalize Newcastle CBD (Source)
• Aspen Group plans to redevelop the former Aspen Holidays Adelaide Caravan Park in Hackney, Adelaide, into a BTR/co-living complex comprising 78 apartments and 46 townhouses, featuring high-end amenities (Source)

Canada

• International student caps slash Canadian university revenue with Queen’s down C$4.7M, Alberta loses C$6.8M as visa Issuance falls nearly 50% and direct entry drops 20% (Source)
• Scape secures £125M NatWest funding for 135-bed, 14-storey student living block set to complete by August 2026 (Source)
• With only 16% of students housed and 1.5% vacancy rate, Canada faces urgent need for 400,000 new PBSA beds as 1.5M students compete for 170,000 spots (Source)
• GEC Langara project approved by Vancouver UDP for 26 floors and 163,572 sq. ft., boosting occupancy by 171% and projected rental revenue from $3.5M to $13.5M (Source)
• UBC unveils $560M, 1,513-bed Lower Mall Project with 22-storey tower and 10,500 sq. ft. dining hall as waitlist surges from 3,200 to 8,000 students over past 15 years (Source)
• Fengate and Tilbury secure financial close for 311-bed student residence at Lambton College, construction to begin in June 2025, ahead of September 2027 opening (Source)
• Canada’s study permit approvals plunge to 45% in 2024 — 79% of global counsellors say new government must rebuild international student trust (Source)
• 50,000 International students skipped enrolment in Canada; 6.9% non-compliance rate reported, with 19,582 Indian students topping the no-show list (Source)

Europe

• HESTA appoints Heitman to lead ~$1B push into European student housing and self-storage, expanding its global property portfolio beyond US commercial assets (Source)
• European PBSA investment share rises to 5.3% in 2024 amid student housing shortfall and rising international enrolment, with UK trailing Poland in rent growth (Source)
• New 20-story residential tower, Torre Castelló, set to transform Madrid skyline with 158 luxury units and student housing, funded with €306M investment (Source)
• Angers Loire Habitat invests €7.5M in 102-unit student housing project near Polytech in Belle-Beille, Angers; two-building residence with 126 bike spots set to open summer 2026 (Source)
• JTRE to launch 26-floor District 15 in Bratislava’s Mlynské Nivy by 2029 with student-focused short-term housing and 200-seat restaurant on Bajkalská Street (Source)
• Rennes to deliver 180-unit student and young professional housing project in Blosne district by end of 2026 (Source)
• Agiras Moods Services and Vilogia to open 82-unit Agiras Metz Arènes student housing in July 2025 at 103 rue aux Arènes, Metz (Source)
• Xior Student Housing expands with 6 new projects across Europe, adding to its 25,500-bed portfolio across 42 cities amid 100% occupancy rates (Source)
• Livensa Living to open 538-bed Barcelona Sants-Badal student residence in September 2025, with additional 238 and 372-bed units operating in Poblenou and Diagonal Alto respectively (Source)
• ARPEJ to open 405-bed student housing project across 4 new residences in Île-de-France by summer 2025, expanding national portfolio to 12,600 units across 95 properties (Source)
• Merkel Capital acquires land on Calle Monduver in Valencia to develop 271-bed Vibe Stay student residence, opening for 2027–28 academic year amid city’s rising demand (Source)
• Saarland University tops out third new dorm in Saarbrücken; 230-bed project underway with first units ready by end of 2025, aiming to house 1,000 students on campus long-term (Source)
• Melgaço opens €580K sustainable student residence with 59 beds after full renovation of former youth hostel, adding 38 new regulated beds near IPVC's ESDL campus (Source)

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