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