Amber Beat Global Student Accommodation Market News - September 2025, Week 02

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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 September 08-September 14, 2025

United Kingdom

• UK among top OECD destinations as international students double over in the past decade at 23% (Source)
• India tops UK student visa charts with 15,000+ approvals in Q2 2025, a 44% leap from the same time last year and 16% YoY rise; overall applications reach 63,000 (Source)
• Unite reports 94% occupancy for 2025/26 as record British 18-year-olds and non-EU students head to university (Source)
• UK study visa applications fall 1.5% in August, 18% below August 2023 but up by 6.89% for YTD’25 so far (Source)
• Nigerian student visas to UK surge 149% in Q2 2025 compared to same period in 2024, with 96% grant rate (Source)
• University of Kentucky sets enrolment record with 38,719 students in Fall 2025, up from 35,951 last year (Source)
• Universities of Greenwich and Kent to unite in 2026 as London and South East University Group with a capacity of 47,000+ students, creating one of UK’s largest institutions (Source)
• UK Government commits £2M to boost integrated education in Northern Ireland (Source)
• Watkin Jones secures approval for 322-bed student scheme ‘The Ionic’ in Bristol’s Temple Quarter, set for 2028/29 completion (Source)
• 108 new self-contained studio flats for students approved in nine-storey Exeter city centre development (Source)
• MCR Property Group acquires 237-unit Truro Works student scheme in Sheffield (Source)
• Moorfield and Tiger launch £60M joint venture to deliver 204 student beds in Bristol (Source)

United States of America

• US ends third-country visa appointments, over 330,000 Indian students to face longer waits, mandatory interviews, limited flexibility, higher penalty risks, and uncertain timelines (Source)
• Washington University in St. Louis named among Forbes’ 2025 ‘New Ivies,’ hosts nearly 500 Indian students, up 34% since 2021 (Source)
• Tufts to offer tuition-free education from Fall 2026 for U.S. undergraduates from families under $150,000, with no-loan aid below $60,000 (Source)
• Southwark approves student housing for 1,434 students in two 30+ storey towers at South London’s Elephant and Castle, plus 169-bed scheme on Old Kent Road (Source)
• Manulife and TruAmerica unite to launch $1B Anchor Point Residential, acquiring 6,000 housing units across 51 properties (Source)
• Harbor Bay begins 13-story, 242,000-sq-ft student housing project in Columbus with 186 units, 493 beds, set to open in 2027 (Source)
• Atlanta’s Spelman College secures $140M bond funding for 670-bed dorm, boosting housing capacity from 54% to 64% by 2028 (Source)
• Toll Brothers and Davis Cos. open 204-unit, 680-bed Aperture student housing community in Orlando (Source)
• MSU Denver set to break ground on $117M, 12-story Summit House dorm with 550 beds and 155 units in Denver (Source)

Australia

• Australia aims for 80% tertiary attainment by 2050; the identified critical equity gaps being cost‑of‑living, access, pathways, and Indigenous inclusion (Source)
• Australia's PBSA supply projected to reach 144,300 beds by 2027, with 39,000 beds in planning, as reported by Student Accommodation Council of Australia (Source)
• Australia to admit 185K migrants in 2025 with 132,200 skilled, 52,500 family, 300 special eligibility, and 44,000 employer-sponsored (Source)
• Student accommodation supply in Australia projected to reach 144,300 beds by 2027, up from roughly 120,000 currently, rising over 20%, according to latest Urbis Student Accommodation Benchmarks and Student Accommodation Council report (Source)
• Australia has nearly 99,000 denied protection visa applicants awaiting deportation, 23,576 visa applications lodged, 4,036 granted, 24,924 refused, asylum claims by students soaring (Source)

Canada

• Canada recorded a 62% student visa refusal rate in 2025, amid evolving immigration policies (Source)
• Canada issued only 36,417 visas with a 250K YoY drop, 42% decline in interest, 10K layoffs, and 600 programs cut (Source)
• Canada's international student enrolment down nearly 60%, leading to major course cuts, staff layoffs, and program suspensions (Source)
• Windsor City Council has approved a 100-unit student housing project to address local accommodation shortages (Source)
• Canada cut student visas by nearly 70% in early 2025, with total rejections surging, and visas dropping by 88,617, the highest in 10 years (Source)

Europe

• upGrad’s latest report shows Germany’s preference as an education destination jumped from 13.2% in 2022 to 32.6% in 2025, while U.S. applications fell 13% YoY (Source)
• France hosts nearly 445,000 international students in 2024‑25. Foreign enrolment rose 17% over five years. (Source)
• Germany expects nearly 405K international students in 2025, a 7% increase YoY, with 56% of universities reporting rises in Master’s enrolment (Source)
• As Canada’s visa requirements become more stringent, Germany sees a 68% enrollment rise, while France rises by 11% (Source)
• Ireland’s student housing plan delayed until late 2025. Only 116 of 1,000 emergency beds expected for the upcoming academic year (Source)
• New 4,000 m² facility with 116 en‑suite student rooms opens in Maynooth town, offering communal kitchens for social living (Source)