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

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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 October 21-October 28, 2025

United Kingdom

• UK cuts post-study stay for foreign graduates to 18 months from 2027, raises visa fund and tuition fee, while study visa numbers rebound 18% in 2025 vs 2024 (Source)
• UK raises fast-track visa and sponsor application fees by up to 75% from October 21, increasing student sponsor requests from £200 to £350 (Source)
• UK universities warn of significant losses from 6% overseas student levy, North East could face £87M hit, as Durham, Newcastle, and Sunderland fear funding cuts (Source)
• UK universities risk £500M in unpaid international tuition fees as 28% report default rates above 10% in 2022–23, Flywire study finds (Source)
• Gamuda Land acquires Stratford site for £100M PBSA project in London, plans 321 beds near UCL East as part of 3,000-bed UK expansion by 2029 (Source)
• GMI Construction tops out £50M Avon Street PBSA in Bristol’s Temple Meads, delivering 447-bed scheme for Host–Corebridge joint venture (Source)
• McAleer & Rushe secures £50M contract from Firethorn to deliver 284 beds with 35% affordable units in East London’s Stratford (Source)
• Union Property secures £22.6M Paragon Bank loan to convert Glasgow office into 142-bed PBSA by 2026/27 (Source)
• Manchester-based student living startup Housr raises £7.5M from US investors Ashta Capital and Juniper Equity to fuel UK and US expansion and tech innovation (Source)

United States of America

• US clarifies $100K H-1B fee applies only to new petitions abroad, F-1 to H-1B changes exempt, rare waivers for roles with no qualified US worker or in national interest (Source)
• US tightens F1 visa rules, ends OPT tax exemption as new bill mandates 6.2% Social Security and 1.45% Medicare contributions for foreign students and employers (Source)
• Texas colleges hit record 1.6 million enrolment in 2025, up 4.7% from last year, as UT Austin reaches 55,000 students and Texas State University System exceeds 100,000 (Source)
• US PhD admissions fall sharply, Harvard among top universities to cut STEM intake by 75% and humanities by 60%, amid funding shortfalls and drop in international students (Source)
• University of Arizona joins MIT, Brown, UPenn, USC, UVA, and Dartmouth in rejecting Trump administration’s higher education compact limiting tuition, DEI, and international student enrolment (Source)
• Trump administration to cancel student loan debt for eligible borrowers under income-driven and public service plans following agreement with AFT and Department of Education (Source)
• Indian student enrolments in US fall 63% in two years while Germany, Ireland, and UK see triple-digit growth (Source)
• Federal student loan caps set to take effect in July 2026, limiting graduate students to $20.5K/year and $100K total, professional programs capped at $50K/year, $200K lifetime (Source)
• Pumphouse–WeldenField–SPM alliance acquires 1,188-bed student housing portfolio serving University of Georgia and Louisiana State University markets (Source)
• US student housing giant Landmark Properties acquires first UK site for 225-bed scheme in central London, with plans for total 3,000 beds across the UK (Source)
• ACE and higher education groups warn new H-1B policies could undermine US competitiveness and hurt international student appeal (Source)
• HH Group acquires 207-bed College and Crown community near Yale University, expanding its US student housing portfolio into the Northeast (Source)
• Greystone provides $46M Freddie Mac loan to refinance Madbury Commons student housing near University of New Hampshire (Source)
• Philanthropist, author MacKenzie Scott donates over $300M to US universities in a month, including $38M to Alabama State and University of Maryland Eastern Shore (Source)

Australia

• Australia increases 2026 international student quota by 17,500 to 295,000 amid tighter visa regulations (Source)
• A survey of 158,000 tertiary education students across Australia reveals highest satisfaction for Agriculture and Forestry students (85.3%), followed by Physiotherapy (85.1%), and Environmental Studies (84.3%) (Source)
• Student Accommodation Council welcomes policy which links university enrolment caps to student housing investment (Source)
• Australia, US, Canada, and New Zealand adjust international education policies as global enrolments shift, with Australia stabilising international enrolments while Canada curbs study growth after two years of 30% annual increases (Source)
• Australian Macquarie University announces INR 28.5 lakh scholarship for Indian UG and PG students, combining India Early Acceptance and Vice-Chancellor’s International Scholarships across diverse study fields (Source)
• Yugo tops out $193M, 916-bed PBSA in Perth’s Waterford, opening Semester 2 2026 at three-tower student complex (Source)
• Wee Hur Holdings Ltd. launches WHF3A student-housing fund to develop 708-bed Adelaide PBSA asset after divesting part of Grenfell Property (Source)
• AustralianSuper invests £500M in UK housing, starting with Bristol student project, addressing 62K-bed shortage and growing UK portfolio (Source)

Canada

• According to Times Higher Education rankings, University of Toronto is first in Canada and 21st globally in 2026, followed by McGill University in 41st place and the University of British Columbia in 45th (Source)
• Record 1.8 million Indian students abroad in 2025, with 137,608 enrolled in Canada in 2024 (Source)
• New cap on international study permits forces 11% enrolment drop at New Brunswick universities, with Atlantic region facing a decline of 36% as compared to 2024 (Source)
• Atlantic Canada international student enrolment falls 36% in 2025, with Cape Breton University down 60%, straining university finances and local communities (Source)
• Canada records new international student arrivals of 89,430 from January–August 2025, a nearly 60% drop from 221,940 in the same period in 2024 (Source)
• IRCC raises the cap for the Francophone Minority Communities Student Pilot from 2,300 to 2,970 applications for August 2025-26 (Source)

Europe

• Germany to host 405,000 international students in 2025, DAAD reports 7% YoY growth (Source)
• Indian student enrolment in Germany (125%), Ireland (153%), and UK (143%) sees sharp growth, as US enrolments fall from 54% in 2023 to 20% in Fall 2025 (Source)
• Several Americans choose Spain for higher education, driven by lower costs with university fees €2,100-€4,629, rent €500-€1,000, and US healthcare bills over €470 (Source)
• Student rents in Germany hit record highs, up 74% since 2012; average €350 in Siegen and €750 in Munich, double the living-cost growth (Source)
• Stakeholders urge Ireland to fix visa delays affecting students from international students, as visa-exempt peers from the US, Canada, and others face no such hurdles (Source)
• Netherlands faces up to €5B loss from caps on international students, with Randstad region bearing 82% impact across major universities (Source)
• Belgium requires non-EU students to apply for a Type D long-stay visa (over 90 days) up to 6 months prior, with specific documents and financial proofs (Source)
• StudentSpace launches first Warsaw residence: 8-storey building with 500+ beds on ul. Wołoska, opening October 2026 (Source)
• Amro Partners & Aviva Investors launch German PBSA platform: target 3,000 beds, >€500M value, first project €60M/200 rooms in Berlin-Charlottenburg (Source)