Published by:
The Class Foundation
Tuesday, March 31, 2020
Higher education, student mobility, and student housing industry news from March 2020.

In March 2020, The Class Foundation began sharing a feed of industry news on a regular basis. We identified our community's need for up to date information in order to be able to make informed decisions and predictions for the future.
31 March
- Italian Ministry of Education allocates 85 million euros to the further development of digital education
- Political party joins students in the call to waive rents – the public sentiment is likely to follow
- Leiden and Maastricht commit to online-only until September
- International students in France report anxiety and chronic stress
- International student recruitment expert sees 5 changing trends in internationalisation
30 March
- Experts predict “prolonged acceleration” in the adoption of technology-enabled learning in higher education
- The UK follows the EU in confirming visa extensions for international students affected by the COVID-19 outbreak
26 March
- 2020/2021 international student mobility faces more uncertainty as visa application processes halt worldwide
- Emergency funding for international students among initiatives pursued by German higher education organisations
- Student Roost steps up to support tenants and communities
- The Dutch Education Ministry’s HE strategy includes the postponement of application deadlines, ease on application requirements and a call for leniency with student rent collection
- Nearly 75% of EAIE survey respondents characterize the effects of the COVID-19 outbreak on student and staff mobility as somewhat or very significant
25 March
- PBSA provider follows hotels in offering rooms for COVID-19 isolation
- Only 4.7% of prospective study abroad students intend to cancel study abroad plans entirely, initial survey results find
24 March
- Provada and LD Event Student Housing 2020 latest industry event postponements
- The UK government releases COVID-19 guidelines for College and University halls of residence
- Coliving operator opens doors to displaced students
23 March
- PBSA and coliving operators quick to adopt virtual initiatives for community and wellbeing
- In an ultra-risky environment, institutional investors still see student accommodation as a tool for defensive portfolio diversification
- Blended learning surges as universities move to online teaching
- Confusion as COVID-19 closes European universities