Amber Beat: Global Student Accommodation Market News - March 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 March 21-March 27, 2025

United Kingdom

• UK International student numbers fall 7% in first decline in a decade, with postgraduate non-EU entrants down 10% (Source)
• University of Lincoln reports 51% drop in international student applications amid new UK visa restrictions (Source)
• UK Universities face financial strain as international student recruitment costs surge, with some losing more than 30% in revenue per student (Source)
• Viridis Consortium plans for University of Manchester’s Fallowfield Campus redevelopment with 3,300 new student bedrooms, set for 2027 completion (Source)
• Empiric reports 9.3% rental growth, expands portfolio with three acquisitions in Bristol, Glasgow, and Manchester (Source)
• UK Government introduces new Building Safety levy rates; developers in Kensington and Chelsea to face £100 per sqm charge (Source)
• BGO partners with Orka to launch £100M UK PBSA Platform, starting with 568 student beds in Manchester and Derby (Source)
• Kexgill secures £11.2M loan from Aldermore, expanding PBSA portfolio with over 170 new beds, total lending reaches £58.5M (Source)
• Douglas & Gordon and Hilltop Capital partner in £200M JV to provide bridging finance for UK property developers (Source)
• GSA secures £86.5M refinancing deal with Investec for 1,460 PBSA beds across 5 cities, boosting Investec's £1.15B PBSA portfolio (Source)
• Unite Students completes £358-bed Rushford Court Extension in 40-year partnership with Durham University, easing local housing pressure (Source)
• Study Inn Group secures £153M refinance to expand portfolio to over 2,000 rooms across key UK cities (Source)
• Historic Freeman, Hardy and Willis Building in Leicester to be transformed into 472-bed student hub with 1,758 sqm of social space (Source)

United States of America

• Trump’s 2025 travel ban may impact over 80K international students in Texas, raising concerns over deportation and travel restrictions (Source)
• US, UK, Canada, and Australia see sharp decline in student admissions as policy shifts drive interest toward Germany, France, and Finland (Source)
• International students reconsider U.S. education as Trump’s policies raise visa, travel, and research concerns (Source)
• College Park ranks among most-changed U.S. cities as student housing projects like The Varsity and University View reshape Route 1 (Source)
• Up Campus Student Living secures $87.4M for 782-bed Leo Tallahassee near FSU, set to open Fall 2027 (Source)
• Subtext and Larson Capital to develop 1,738-bed EVER and VERVE College Station near Texas A&M, with first phase breaking ground in summer 2025
• Gilbane, CBRE IM secure $63.4M for 702-bed Zaya student housing in Gainesville, set to open summer 2027 (Source)
• Los Angeles Community College District moves forward with $500M student housing plan to address affordability crisis (Source)
• JLL secures joint venture equity for 679-bed Signature on Varsity in Raleigh and 528-bed Signature on Grand in Knoxville, set for 2027 completion (Source)
• Tiffin University to build Residential Village for 450 students, breaking ground in January 2026 with phase one completion by fall 2027 (Source)
• Core Spaces expands Hub on Campus brand with new large-scale developments, including Hub Bloomington, preleasing for 2025 and designed for 1,500 students (Source)
• Fayetteville Planning Commission delays decision on Trinitas Ventures’ proposed 7-story student housing on Dickson Street over traffic concerns (Source)

Australia

• Australia saw a 36% drop in international student applications in 2024, declining from 390,000 to 176,000, despite record student migration as of February 2025, according to MSM Unify study (Source)
• New Australian study reveals no link between international student numbers and rising rents, researchers urge against scapegoating this demographic (Source)
• CBRE lists Yugo's Berkeley Street PBSA in Melbourne for sale, following its successful operation since 2020 (Source)
• NSW Land and Environment Court approve $30 million, 12-storey co-living project in Rockdale, NSW, allowing for 79 units on Princes Highway (Source)
• Kensington to Kingsford (K2K) Plan to transform Anzac Parade, Sydney, into vibrant, connected, and sustainable urban hub begins by Toga (Source)

Canada

• Canada’s rental prices drop 4.8% to CAD 2,088 as 2023 student visa cap reduces demand in Toronto, Vancouver (Source)
• Canada rejects 2.36M temporary visa applications in 2024 amid housing, service strain; new policies tighten student and work permit approvals (Source)
• Forum invests $183M to reposition 742-bed ALMA @ ByWard Market Ottawa, set under REIIF in Q3 2025 (Source)
• Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières opens 41-bed Oasis du Lac student residence in Pointe-du-Lac after $2M investment (Source)

Europe

• Germany sees 49% surge in Indian student enrollments in 2024, welcoming 34,702 amid a decline in traditional destinations (Source)
• International Campus opens leasing for THE FIZZ in Ludwigshafen, Germany, with 337 student apartments, all-inclusive rent from €765 (Source)
• Finangeste Launches €300M Mega-Development in Faro, Portugal with 1,461 housing units and 168,000 sqm of mixed-use space (Source)
• University of Naples, Italy, faces severe housing shortage with only 482 beds for 33,000 international students (Source)
• Norges Bank acquires 40% of AXA’s student residences for €240M, expanding 12,000-bed portfolio by 2028 (Source)
• AXA increases commitment to European PBSA strategy with €660M in new capital, targeting €3B portfolio by 2031 and 12,000 beds by 2028 (Source)
• University of Malaga to invest up to €3M in modernizing 357-bed student residence in Spain, offering lower prices and €500K annual contribution (Source)
• Greyfield Group acquires 1,633 sqm student residence in Dortmund, plans to expand to 100 units with €2,500 sqm of living space (Source)
• Poland's PRS market sees rapid growth with over 29,500 units by 2024, led by institutional investors (Source)
• Krakow's 29L investment to deliver 400 apartments and 10,000 sqm of service space in growing micro-quarter (Source)