Amber Beat: Global Student Accommodation Market News - March 2025, Week 01

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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 February 27-March 06, 2025

United Kingdom

• UK sees 23% rise in international student enrolments for 2025, with health and engineering fields leading growth (Source)
• Sheffield faces 25-36% drop in international students over three years, local businesses report 40% revenue decline (Source)
• AVF Developments secures planning for 190-bed PBSA in Greenwich, London, with 35% affordable housing and BREEAM Excellent target (Source)
• Olympian Homes’ St James House scheme in Bristol receives approval for 442 PBSA beds, 150 co-living units, and premium amenity space (Source)
• Alumno and Watkin Jones urge Bristol to build 60,000 homes and lift cap on student flats amid housing crisis (Source)
• Thomas Johnstone begins construction on second phase of lower Gilmore Place PBSA, adding 82 beds to Edinburgh’s Fountainbridge (Source)
• Watkin Jones wins £50M+ upgrade for King’s College London’s 714-bed Champion Hill student accommodation (Source)
• Study Inn completes Brotherton House PBSA transformation with 385 rooms and sustainability focus in Leeds (Source)
• L&G begins phase two of lower Gilmore Place PBSA, adding 82 premium beds to Edinburgh student housing (Source)
• Alumno's £13M Hollis Wharf PBSA in Bath tops out, delivering 120 student rooms and 45,000 sqft of mixed-use space (Source)

United States of America

• Trump administration’s immigration policies and trade tensions raise concerns for US higher education and international student enrollment (Source)
• US education groups call for urgent restoration of paused federal funding for study abroad and exchange programs (Source)
• Vita Group secures $253.2M for 1,068-unit student housing at 30 Marsh Wall, Canary Wharf, set for completion in 2028 (Source)
• Balfour Beatty to develop $145M, 1,070-bed student housing project on Whitis Avenue at UT Austin, set to open in Fall 2027 (Source)
• Barings, Article Student Living acquire 1,060-bed ‘5 Twenty Four & 5 Twenty Five’ Angliana near University of Kentucky, plan renovations (Source)
• Article Student Living secures $37.5M refinancing for 636-bed HERE Reno near University of Nevada (Source)
• East Tennessee State University invests $30M in student housing, adding 400 beds; Yoakley Hall to reopen as residential facility by Fall 2026 (Source)
• Newmark tops US student housing investment sales in 2024 with $9.5 billion in transactions, driven by strong university enrollment growth (Source)
• Milford’s historic Carlisle Firehouse to be converted into 15 affordable apartments with $5.6 million investment, construction to begin in late April or early May 2025 (Source)
• Up Campus Living breaks ground on Blume on Ivy, a student housing community near UVA with resort-style amenities (Source)

Australia

• IEAA urges incoming government to prioritize support for international education, outlining key actions needed for the sector’s growth with federal election nearing (Source)
• La Trobe University set to expand its CBD presence with new 220-bed student accommodation complex, strengthening Bendigo’s status as a growing university city (Source)
• Scape Australia opens student housing portfolio to investors with launch of evergreen fund, designed to attract and retain investment opportunities (Source)
• Construction begins on sustainable Build-to-Rent project in Meadowbank, NSW designed by AJC Architects, targeting to house students, families, singles, and others (Source)
• SC Capital Partners sells 233-bed student housing property in Sydney to UNSW Sydney for A$57 million, a 19% premium to its book value (Source)

Canada

• Canada tightens immigration rules, reducing study permits and enforcing stricter work visa policies for international students (Source)
• Canada’s 2024 SDS closure standardizes study permits, prompting SDS-eligible students to explore flexible English proficiency options like Duolingo English Test, (DET) accepted by more than 400 academic programmes in Canada (Source)
• Quebec caps international student applications at 124,760 for 2025, reducing permits by 20% to ease immigration pressures (Source)
• UBC Okanagan ramps up international student recruitment amid budget concerns, launches South Asian hub initiative (Source)

Europe

• European PBSA market grows to €45 billion, with potential to triple to €155 billion amid rising demand from 3.5x more mobile students than UK (Source)
• Homes for Students launches Orla Living with plans for European expansion, managing over 52,000 beds across 200 properties (Source)
• ATU approved to purchase 16 acres in Sligo, Ireland for student accommodation amid housing crisis, plans for up to 900 beds (Source)
• Hines acquires 650-bed PBSA development in Valencia, Spain, expanding its Spanish student housing portfolio (Source)
• Construction begins in Gdańsk, Poland on student residence with 392 academic rooms and 100 hotel rooms, set to open in 2026 (Source)
• Ardian and Rockfield acquire fully occupied student residence in Barcelona, Spain, with 347 beds and office space (Source)
• Melilla, Spain approves 225-place student residence as part of University City transformation (Source)