Amber Beat Global Student Accommodation Market News - September 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 September 22-September 28, 2025

United Kingdom

• Blackstone partners with Pluto Finance in £2B UK funding deal targeting PBSA, housing, co-living, and logistics projects (Source)
• Public First warns UK 6% international fee levy could cut 16,100 students in first year and over 77,000 in five years, costing £2.2B and 135,000 domestic places (Source)
• FoI reveals over 150,000 UK graduates now have student debts over £100,000, up from 113,029 in January (Source)
• Unite Students’ 36-storey, 719-bedroom Hawthorne House in Stratford tops out, set to house 700+ students, support London PBSA supply, and serve London Academy of Excellence (Source)
• Beachrock brings Study Inn’s PBSA portfolio to market with 1,835 bedrooms across seven UK university cities, priced at £270M and offering hotel-style, fully serviced student accommodation (Source)
• CMA invites comments on Unite Group’s £723M Empiric acquisition to assess impact on UK student housing competition ahead of potential phase one and phase two merger reviews (Source)
• The HUB approved to build eight-story, 310-apartment student complex at East Maxwell and Rose streets near UK campus (Source)
• Scotland’s Housing Bill may exclude purpose-built student accommodation from rent controls after MSPs vote down amendment (Source)
• Durham’s Mount Oswald site to add student housing and 3,000 sq ft Asda Express, aiming to ease local housing pressure, says Banks Property (Source)

United States of America

• Trump’s $100,000 H-1B visa fee could cost major US universities over $10M annually, up from $2K–$5K per petition (Source)
• US News 2026 Rankings place Princeton, MIT, and Harvard at the top with Stanford, Yale, Chicago, Duke, Johns Hopkins, Northwestern, and Penn rounding out the top 10 (Source)
• Senator Grassley targets OPT for foreign students following H-1B visa hike, says DHS should stop issuing work authorisations to student visa holders (Source)
• Trump's $100K H-1B fee deters students, 78% Indians may reconsider US study plans, while Canada, Germany, and Australia gain appeal (Source)
• US ends most visa interview waivers from October 1, 2025, requiring in-person interviews at the US embassy or consulate, affecting students and professionals after H-1B fee hike (Source)
• US first-time international student enrolment drops 19% to 313,000, lowest since 2021, as potential 40% decline looms (Source)
• US student arrivals fell 12% through August, data from International Trade Administration shows Asia down 24%, with India dropping 45% and China 12% (Source)
• Proposed H-1B changes could disrupt US B-schools as Indian students, who received 73% of new visas in 2023, make up a quarter or more of top programs (Source)
• Three in four US college leaders concerned about Trump administration, as 65% worry about immigration, 77% about federal threats to academic freedom, ACE survey of 500+ shows (Source)
• USCIS may conduct unannounced site visits for F-1 students and H-1B workers, including interviews and record checks, to ensure compliance with immigration laws (Source)
• Despite security and visa concerns, international students report continued preference for US, Pioneer Academics survey of 303 participants shows (Source)
• Subtext opens Verve Ann Arbor, 12-story, 741-bed student housing near University of Michigan with 217 units ranging from studios to six-bedroom layouts (Source)
• University of Oklahoma opens 560-bed McCasland Hall for record freshman class of 6,229, funded by $10M McCasland Foundation gift with study and community amenities (Source)
• Crescent Sky Capital acquires downtown’s 20 Hawley Street, expands student housing portfolio to New York; firm now owns 15 properties nationwide in TX, NM, FL, AZ, NY (Source)
• Pennsylvania’s West Chester University opens Matlack Court, 114-unit modular housing with 128 beds, as temporary solution while planning major future student housing projects (Source)

Australia

• According to Australia’s Department of Education, new commencements fell 16% YoY, English Language Intensive Courses for Overseas Students (ELICOS) down nearly 40%, yet projections suggest Australia will hit 102% of its 2025 cap (Source)
• According to UNSW, 388,890 students began degrees (+4%) in 2024, with regional (+4.5%) and disabled (+11%) enrolments rising (Source)
• Australia hiked student visa fees from AUD 1600 to AUD 2,000, aiming for AUD 760M revenue; ELICOS enrolments have halved since (Source)
• Australia will fast‑track student visas at 12 universities, including Swinburne University of Technology and La Trobe University, to ease South East Asia backlog (Source)
• Up to 40% of overseas students in Australia gained permanent residency, as opposed to the earlier estimate of 16% (Source)

Canada

• Canada’s 2025 study permit figures collapsed ~50%; approval rates fell from 51% to 30%; enrolments down 69%; active permits down 23% (Source)
• Canada will approve about 30% fewer Post-Graduation Work Permits in 2025, tightening eligibility and reducing student work pathways (Source)
• Canada's 2025 study permit approvals for Indian students decline, potentially causing a $10.5B economic shortfall (Source)
• Chicago’s Harrison Street launches a 458‑bed student housing project at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia, completing by 2028 (Source)
• Conestoga College’s new student permits plunged 97%, with just 540 issued in H1 2025 vs 17,600 in H1 2023 (Source)
• Rising US H‑1B costs push Indian students toward Canada: 94% favour it; enrolments up; Germany also gains momentum (Source)

Europe

• Spain’s student housing demand soars with 77% more international students; only 117,000 beds for 622,000 students drive €1.2B investments, 4.5% yields; rents €1,000+ (Source)
• Europe’s international student numbers rise +4.6%; major housing shortages persist; Paris, London face biggest gaps; Lisbon, Berlin expanding beds (Source)
• Indian students studying overseas rose from 1.3 million (2023) to 1.8 million (May 2025); US applications dropped 13 %; Germany up 49% (Source)
• France hosted 445,000 international students in 2024/25, aiming for 500,000 by 2027; US visa issues boost appeal (Source)
• BCI’s QuadReal to commit over £2.5B to UK and Ireland data centres and housing over next 3-5 years, including 4500 student beds across 29 communities (Source)
• Germany, Finland, and Canada emerge as top options as Indian students reconsider US higher education due to H-1B visa uncertainties (Source)
• Germany's stable immigration policies, high demand for skilled professionals, and affordable education make it increasingly attractive to Indian students (Source)
• Germany's 2025 study visa updates include €12,000 blocked account, digital applications, higher wages, and 19,000+ English programs (Source)
• The EU is pushing for the UK to rejoin Erasmus+ by 2026, aiming for equal tuition and broader youth mobility access (Source)