Amber Beat: Global Student Accommodation Market News - May 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 May 01-08, 2025

United Kingdom

• UK PBSA sector sees £744m investment in Q1 2025 with 18 deals and 97–98% occupancy expected for 2025/26, reports Knight Frank (Source)
• Student visa crackdown could worsen UK universities' financial crisis, warns Universities UK; survey reveals 25% of institutions making redundancies (Source)
• UK plans visa restrictions for nationals from high asylum-claiming countries, including Pakistan, Nigeria, and Sri Lanka (Source)
• Unite Students announces £390M joint venture to develop 2,300 new PBSA beds at Cambridge Halls, Manchester Metropolitan University (Source)
• CVC DIF acquires 750-bed PBSA portfolio from Mapletree, expanding Ottoway platform to over 5,000 beds (Source)
• Vita Group acquires 1.28-acre site on India Street, Glasgow for 591-bedroom PBSA development, set for completion in 2027 (Source)
• McAleer & Rushe achieves outstanding 47 CCS score for Vita’s 540-bed Gough Street PBSA in Birmingham (Source)
• Get Living revises £1.5Bn Elephant and Castle plan, adding 452 PBSA beds and 507 homes, including 165 affordable units (Source)
• L&G acquires 409-bed Nottingham PBSA as part of £1bn student living strategy targeting 5,000+ beds (Source)
• Unite Students submits £400M plan to replace 770-bed Cambridge Halls in Manchester, UK with 2,300-bed PBSA scheme by 2030 (Source)
• Maslow Capital provides £29M for 189-bed PBSA development in Oxford, addressing growing student housing demand (Source)
• Savills launches £61m sale of 535-bed Limelight PBSA in Liverpool with 5.75% NIY and 79% cluster rooms (Source)
• Red Construction secures £31M Shoreditch student accommodation redevelopment, adding 208 beds and BREEAM Excellent goal (Source)

United States of America

• Trump administration restores SEVIS status for thousands of international students amid legal pressure and protest scrutiny across U.S. campuses (Source)

• Trump administration expands deportation grounds for international students; ICE flags 6,400 in database sweep, sparking legal challenges across U.S. (Source)
• International students rethink U.S. study plans amid restored SEVIS status and visa uncertainty, fueling increased interest in Canada and the U.K. (Source)
• Subtext, Kayne Anderson break ground on 1,332-bed VERVE Charlottesville near UVA, 463-unit project set for 2027 delivery at 100 Stadium Road (Source)
• Florida Memorial University partners with Redwood Dev Co for US$500M–US$1B campus overhaul, adding 1,300 beds and workforce housing in Miami Gardens (Source)
• San Francisco State completes $170M West Grove Commons with 700+ affordable student beds, funded by California state grant (Source)
• Suffolk University invests US$158M to convert 101 Tremont St. office into 280-bed student housing, set for fall 2026 in downtown Boston (Source)
• Commercial Street Partners secures US$97M financing for Apella on Newport, a 576-bed student housing community near the University of Tampa, completed in 2024 (Source)
• Clemson University approves $57.5M expansion of Douthit Hills in Clemson, adding 360 beds across 84,000 sq. ft., construction to begin in Jan 2026 (Source)
• Inland Mortgage Capital secures US$18.3M bridge loan for 192-unit student housing renovation at The Grand at Riverside, Evans, Colorado (Source)
• Endeavor Real Estate Group breaks ground on 780-bed student housing project, Morado on Berry, for Texas Christian University, set to open by Fall 2027 at 2900 W. Berry St., Fort Worth (Source)
• Landmark Properties and Stockbridge acquire Icon Plaza and West 27th Place near USC in Los Angeles, adding 704 beds across 57 and 161 units respectively (Source)

Australia

• Re-election of Australia's Labor Party unveils 10-year migration plan, aiming to reduce net overseas migration to 250,000 in 2024–25, slightly rise to 255,000 in 2025–26, and fall again to 235,000 in 2026–27 (Source)
• The Emerging Futures Seven survey of over 6,000 students, finds 1,400 Indian students view Australia as highly attractive due to 15 universities as per QS Ranking in top 200 with extended post-study work rights (Source)
• Construction begins on Ancora, Lendlease’s 28-storey tower at Collins Wharf in Melbourne, set to deliver 312 homes with over 50% already pre-sold (Source)
• Scape Australia secures additional capital from CBRE IM Indirect after establishing A$6.0bn PBSA fund, backing portfolio of 33 assets with 16,300 beds across major cities (Source)

Canada

• Canada's Liberal government to reduce immigration targets, including international students, through 2027, with 395,000 permanent resident admissions in 2025 (Source)
• Nova Scotia's universities secure two-year funding agreements with 2% increase in grants, tuition freeze for undergraduates, and performance targets (Source)
• tp bennett wins approval for 742-bed student tower at Plot B in Canada Water, London, part of BIG-led masterplan with 75 affordable homes and retail units (Source)
• Lester B. Pearson School Board teams up with 4Stay to provide dormitory housing for vocational students in Montreal, enhancing the student experience in 2025 (Source)

Europe

• PBSA among fastest-growing living sectors in Europe as $1.4 trillion investment wave forecast by 2030, highlights JLL Report (Source)
• Student Depot Poznań expands with new 11-storey wing, adding 400 beds for 2025/2026 academic year (Source)
• Bolzano begins €46.5M student residence project with 200 beds, set for completion by 2027/28 academic year in Italy (Source)
• Summix plans 316-bed student accommodation with preserved historic buildings on Independent Newspapers HQ site in Dublin, Ireland, set to open in 2028 (Source)
• Xior sees 5.5% rent growth in Q1 2025 with 98% occupancy across 20,769 student units valued at €3.36B (Source)
• Blacklight's £61m Limelight PBSA hits market in Liverpool, featuring 535 beds and 99% occupancy since opening (Source)
• ING secures €23.7m green loan refinancing for Montrose PBSA in Dublin, providing 210 beds near University College Dublin (Source)