Amber Radar Global Student Accommodation Market News - August 2026, Week 04

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Amber Radar 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 Radar | News from August 22-August 28, 2026

United Kingdom

• Unite Group’s £126M Glasgow student housing project to deliver 934 beds for 2027/28 academic year (Source)
• QS forecasts UK international enrolments to grow 3.5% annually to 2030 while cost and visa concerns persist (Source)
• British Council survey finds 73% of international alumni needed UK qualification for current job, 70% secured relevant work within six months, and 84% recommending UK study (Source)
• British Council highlights wider value of international students to UK beyond monetary contributions, including global networks and cultural links (Source)
• UK sees record share of new university students planning to live at home, with 81,000 applicants, up from around one in five in 2017 to more than one in three today (Source)

United States of America

• US proposes $103,265 H-1B fee, raising uncertainty for international students seeking post-study work (Source)
• US F-1 visa issuance fell 34% in 2025, with Indian student visas down 60% as visa restrictions intensify (Source)
• US international applications fall 10%, with new international enrollment already down 17% amid tighter visa policies (Source)
• International applications fall over 25% at Illinois flagship as US colleges warn of impact from new four-year visa limit (Source)
• Harvard Business School explores MBA options in the UK, Canada and Europe amid US visa uncertainty, including potential partnerships with London Business School, University of Toronto and IMD (Source)
• Harvard advises international students and scholars to be in the US by Sept. 15 ahead of new four-year visa rule (Source)
• Landmark Properties JV acquires 642-bed student housing asset near University of Mississippi (Source)
• Subtext acquires Lexington site for 520-bed student housing development near University of Kentucky, opening in 2028 (Source)

Australia

• ECA and Wuhan University partner to deliver Australian IT diplomas in China, expanding TNE options for students (Source)
• Griffith University opens 460-bed student accommodation tower, taking Gold Coast campus capacity to nearly 1,000 beds (Source)
• Freecity to deliver 528-unit student housing tower in Sydney (Source)

Canada

• Canada’s H1 2026 data shows PR admissions down 12.3% to 182,185, while Q2 study permits rose 45.8% and PGWP holders surged 323% to 116,935 (Source)
• Ontario international students face 20% hike in mandatory health insurance fees from September 2026 (Source)
• University of Calgary houses 3,000 students on campus as city rents fall 4.2% year-on-year (Source)
• Edmonton approves 696-unit student housing development, with first phase set for 2028 (Source)

Europe

• Nuffic survey finds 80.1% of international students chose Netherlands as top study destination, as 89.7% value English taught programmes and 82.8% affordable tuition (Source)
• Poland becomes the top destination for Irish students studying medicine abroad, with 850 Irish students enrolled, including nearly 400 in veterinary medicine (Source)
• France targets 30,000 Indian students by 2030, with Indian enrolment reaching 9,100 in 2024–25, up from 13th to 11th among France’s top source markets (Source)
• Continental Europe records €1.18B in Q2 2026 PBSA investment across 23 deals, while UK recorded €275M across seven transactions (Source)
• Greystar acquires 265-bed Copley Court in Cork, expanding its Irish PBSA portfolio to 2,171 beds across Cork, Dublin and Galway (Source)

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