Amber Beat: Global Student Accommodation Market News - May 2025, Week 05

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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 23-29, 2025

United Kingdom

• UK net migration halves to 431,000 in 2024 as student-dependant visas fall 86%; asylum claims up 17% to 109,343 (Source)
• UK government confirms 6% international student tax will not apply in Scotland without Holyrood approval; potential £85 million cost to Scottish universities if imposed (Source)
• Selly Oak’s £90m The Triangle development to deliver 836 student beds, 2,415 sqm commercial space, and eco-friendly features (Source)
• McAleer & Rushe secures £90m contract for 836-bedroom student housing project in Birmingham (Source)
• Downing secures approval for 668-unit North Acton PBSA and BTR scheme, including 609 student beds and 35% affordable housing (Source)
• MCR acquires 629-bed Clanny House PBSA in Sunderland as student numbers double to 20,000 since 2016 (Source)
• £250 million Charing Cross regeneration in Glasgow advances with detailed plans for 620-bed student accommodation (Source)
• CxG Glasgow submits plans for 620-bed student housing as part of £250m Charing Cross Gateway regeneration (Source)
• Conygar returns to profit with £6.3M gain after Welsh asset sales; extends Island Quarter loan repayment to December 2025 (Source)
• Aldermore backs College Street with funding for 101-bed PBSA in the UK amid 64% student housing shortfall in Northampton (Source)
• Newmark brings 189-bed Coal Yard PBSA in York to market at £24.5m, with NOI of £1.38m and 88% cluster mix (Source)

United States of America

• U.S. court blocks Trump’s attempt to revoke international student visas, offering relief after Homeland Security stripped Harvard’s SEVP certification; ruling calls federal actions disruptive and likely unlawful (Source)
• OPT visa rules tightened in U.S., with ICE warning international students, including thousands of Indians, of SEVIS termination & deportation over unreported or inaccurate employment; stricter enforcement mandates updates within 10 days (Source)
• U.S. to slow student visa processing by halting expansion of visa appointments, raising hurdles for Indian students amid ongoing immigration crackdown as per new Trump administration rules (Source)
• GSA secures $500M loan from Wells Fargo to refinance 23 student housing properties across 14 U.S. states, supporting expansion for catering to 20,000 students in 43 buildings (Source)
• CSU Board of Trustees approves San Diego State University’s ‘Evolve Student Housing’ multi-phase project, to add up to 5,200 beds, making it SDSU’s largest housing expansion ever (Source)
• Development approved for 1,011-bed student housing complex along  in Fayetteville, with 294 units, Endeavor Real Estate Group in partnership with Duncan Avenue (Source)
• Core Spaces completes 648-bed ‘Hub Tucson First’ near University of Arizona, with 161 furnished units and student-friendly amenities (Source)
• UNC-Chapel Hill to build first new dorm since 2006 with New Residence Hall 1 worth $93 million to house 600–700 students; construction to begin in 2026 with opening planned for 2028 (Source)
• Illinois Central College partners with Bradley University & Methodist College to house students displaced by Woodview Commons closure; each to accommodate about 100 students (Source)

Australia

• Australia’s federal election raises concerns as Indian student cohort hits 139,000 amid proposed 270,000 enrolment cap and visa fee hikes (Source)
• Perth approves $400m Carillon City redevelopment with 803 student beds, 238-room hotel and twin towers up to 35 storeys (Source)
• Developer Erben proposed a 21-storey, 1,146-bed student tower in Perth’s City Link precinct, targeting students from the nearby $853 million ECU city campus opening in 2026. (Source)

Canada

• Canada issues 31% fewer study permits to Indian students in Q1 2025, with only 30,640 approved, down from 44,295 in 2024; total international permits fall to 96,015 amid tightened immigration policy (Source)
• UBC to build $560M, 1,500-bed student housing complex at its Vancouver campus, designed by Danish firm 3XN, with final permit approval expected in November 2025 & initial construction to begin in January 2026 (Source)
• GECC and Pure Group to build GEC Education Mega Centre in Surrey City Centre, a 49-storey tower with 1,380 beds and a $330M budget; construction to start in 2025, completion expected in early 2029 (Source)
• SFU Burnaby begins construction on 445-bed student housing building, part of its $197M third-phase master plan, with completion expected in Fall 2027 (Source)

Europe

• Jaén approves 50-year land transfer to a university for a new 160-bed student residence in Spain, addressing demand exceeding 800 places (Source)
• Resa to open 510-bed university residence in Barcelona by 2027, adding to 12,000-bed portfolio across 23 Spanish cities (Source)
• Reiß & Co. and THG to develop a 380-unit student housing project in Garching near TUM in Germany, construction to begin in Q3 2026 (Source)
• Collegiate opens luxury 290-bed residence in Madrid Chamartín, now accepting reservations for the 2025-2026 academic year (Source)
• Normandy offers affordable student housing with an average rent of €559, well below Paris’s €917, easing budget pressures in France’s housing crisis (Source)
• Nido Living delivers 430 affordable studios in Maastricht, Netherlands, without compromising on quality, sustainability or design (Source)