Amber Beat: Global Student Accommodation Market News - June 2025, Week 04

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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 20 - June 26, 2025

United Kingdom

• 72% of providers in UK may face deficits by 2025/26 as international student fees rise 15-fold since 2000 amid immigration reform risks (Source)
• Latest HEPI data reveals UK study visa demand surged by 32% in main applicant applications and 27% in visa issuances in Q1 2025, led by India and Nigeria (Source)
• Wales doubles global awareness as UK leader in international student growth, with interest from India rising from 18% to 32% and US interest more than doubling from 14% to 32% between 2022 and 2025 (Source)
• Winvic tops out Birmingham’s tallest student tower, the £85M Crown Place, set to deliver 814 beds and over 13,000 sq ft of amenities by December 2025, to be operated by Yugo from opening in January 2026 (Source)
• Glasgow’s iQ Cullen House completed, delivering 551-unit modern accommodation with gyms, gaming arcade, and rooftop terraces (Source)
• Edinburgh’s historic bingo hall set for transformation into 200-bed student housing scheme at 26 Manderston Street in Leith, including 190 clusters and 10 studios (Source)
• Raffles Hall PBSA in York, with 195 cluster apartments and 108 studios to house 303 students ahead of the new academic year (Source)
• Rapleys' report identifies PBSA as the top UK alternative investment for 2025 amid rising international student demand and strong rental growth (Source)
• Far East Orchard closes £96M UK PBSA fund with 63.5% institutional backing, invests in 512 beds across Glasgow and Manchester (Source)
• University of Manchester begins Fallowfield regeneration with Owens Park demolition, plans 3,300 new bedspaces toward 5,400-bed campus vision (Source)
• Firethorn Trust tops out 230-bed student housing scheme at Leith Walk in Edinburgh, targeting 2026-27 academic year (Source)

United States of America

• U.S. resumes student visa processing with new mandate to access applicants’ social media, prioritizes institutions with <15% international enrollment (Source)
• Trump signals possible deal with Harvard on international students as court allows continued enrollment amid $2B grant freeze and SEVP revocation battle in Boston (Source)
• Trump administration’s shifting visa rules spark uncertainty for international students at UCSB, as suspensions & social media screenings stall academic plans in California (Source)
• Alabama State University breaks ground on $87M student housing project with 552 beds across two apartment complexes, set to open by Spring 2027 in Montgomery (Source)
• LV Collective, Harrison Street to open 1,003-bed Rambler College Park in Fall 2027 with 288 units, retail space, and community center on Baltimore Ave in College Park, Maryland (Source)
• Parallel, Kayne Anderson begin 500-bed, 148-unit student housing project at 250 Church Ave in College Station, set to open by Summer 2027 (Source)
• The Hartford gifts $500K for student housing scholarships at UConn Hartford’s 200-bed Pratt Street residence hall, set to open in Fall 2026 (Source)
• Macalester College offers free summer housing for 65 international students in St. Paul with $250K donor gift; Whitman College raises $27.4K for housing support fund (Source)

Australia

• Australia recorded a net migration gain of 340,000 with around 580,000 arrivals and 240,000 departures in 2024 with 35% of migrants being students and approximately 90% under age 40. (Source)
• Australia’s performance in the 2026 QS World University Rankings slipped, with 69% of its 36 ranked universities falling while, India saw record gains, with 54 universities ranked and nearly half improving their standings (Source)
• Australia to grant Indian students an additional year of post-study work rights compared to other nationalities—on top of the standard Temporary Graduate visa—offering extended employment opportunities post graduation. (Source)
• Australia’s student visa reforms propose fees hike from AUD 1,600 in July 2024 to AUD 2,000 in 2025, introduce a strict age cap of 35, and strengthen English language and Genuine Student criteria in line with Australia’s immigration priorities and long-term workforce goals. (Source)
• Campus Living Villages plans a 14-storey, 357-bed student tower at CDU Darwin amid Australia’s PBSA investment boom, rising to US$1.8B in 2025 from $116M in 2024. (Source)

Canada

• Fengate and Tilbury break ground on Lambton College’s largest-ever project with 311-bed student residence set to open by September 2027 (Source)
• Thompson Rivers University considers closing 305-bed dorm as 40% drop in international students follows federal cap on study permits in B.C. (Source)
• Canada to cap international students, temporary workers below 5% of population by 2027 amid 1.1M population surge and 200K student spike in 2023 (Source)
• Canada updates post-graduation work permit eligibility, removing 178 fields and adding 119 to total 920 eligible programs (Source)

Europe

• Belgium to exempt university-run student housing in Brussels from property tax starting 2026, ending €350,000 annual levy across 9 municipalities (Source)
• Sweden to introduce digital study checks from August 2025, freeing thousands of student housing units annually and enhancing tenant verification (Source)
• GSA and Nuveen acquire €540M YouFirst Campus PBSA portfolio with 3,700 beds, 80% in Paris, entering French market (Source)
• Nido Living acquires Livensa Living for €1.2B, adding 9,000 beds and expanding European portfolio to 13,000+ beds by Q4 2025 (Source)
• Saint-Étienne opens new 200-unit student residence in La Métare, France, with €10 million investment (Source)
• Latvia’s Duck Republik launches €14.5M student hotel in Riga to house 250+ students by Summer 2026, marking second project after 2020’s €7.5M debut (Source)
• International Campus acquires 342-apartment PBSA near Rotterdam, construction of Project Fascinatio to begin August 2025 and complete by Summer 2027 (Source)
• Rzeszów to residence to house 175 students behind the 4th high school, with 6,400 sqm area and 46% green space (Source)
• Zaragoza to add 1,859 student residence beds by 2026 in Spain, but faces a shortfall of 5,100 beds amid rising demand (Source)