Published by:
The Class Foundation
Wednesday, March 31, 2021
Higher education, student mobility, and student housing industry news from March 2021.

March 31
- CEE is the place for investors interested in student housing
- France sees “moderate decline” in int’l students due to Covid-19
- Insight - how can investors capitalise on the rise in flexible living?
March 30
- REALX.Global: Impact Investing suits every real estate sector
- Designing PBSA for digital natives is more important than ever according to Nido Student COO, Darren Gardner
- APG, Scape acquire UK site for £100m student housing project
March 29
- The UK PBSA sector has remained the go-to alternative asset of choice for investors according to Cushman & Wakefield UK Student Accommodation Report
- Henderson Park and Hines sell student residence in Barcelona to Commerz Real AG. Savills advised Commerz on the acquisition
- REALX.Global: PBSA gearing up for return to normality says International Campus CEO, Rainer Nonnengässer
- Spanish Real Estate doesn’t lose its attractiveness among investors in 1Q 2021 according to BNP Paribas Real Estate
- Aventicum makes PBSA debut with £132m buy from Unite
- UK investment - has there been a boom in buyers hailing from Hong Kong?
- The SALTO Neo cylinder has been named Product of the Year 2021 in the Security Technology and Access Control category of the S+B Schloss + Beschlagmarkt competition
March 26
- REALX.Global: Covid-19 just ‘a blip’ for student housing sector says GSA CEO, Will Rowson
- Curlew Capital has announced a £44m loan with Lloyds Bank to accelerate its purpose-built student accommodation development programme
- REALX.Global: Proptech will grow and catch up with fintech says VP of Altus Group, Scott Cations
- Urban Land Institute and Hines Announce Jury for Its European Real Estate Student Competition
- What do rising student numbers tell us about the UK PBSA market? - Knight Frank
March 25
- Juan Acosta: "Greystar will invest 300 million in Spain in 2021"
- PBSA market is resilient, says Cushman & Wakefield
March 23
- HousingAnywhere is excited to announce its new partnership with homefully, a market-leading co-living provider from Germany
- Knight Frank is backing Fifth Wall, a venture capital firm focused on real estate technology, with an investment into its European Real Estate Technology Fund
- Catella Wohnen Europa acquires affordable housing complex in Seville for € 17.5 mln
- REALX.Global: Proptech is the key to healthy buildings
March 22
- European University Association focuses on tackling foreign influence risks
- The Welsh government has announced a £65m International Learning Exchange Programme that will fund both inbound and outbound mobility in the wake of the UK’s exit from the Erasmus+ scheme
- Fire safety in residential buildings: where are we now?
March 19
- Studyportals joins Global Education Coalition
- REALX.Global: More investment into student housing planned
- Housemates Report: UK Student Accommodation Demand Survey 2021/22
March 18
- BaseCamp Student will start an investment in Warsaw. The new project will be located in Wola. [Polish]
- A new Innovation District will be built in Lisbon by Universidade Nova, together with private investors. The district promises to booster Lisbon’s internationalisation and attract 4.500 new inhabitants.
- How developing ‘data consciousness’ can drive value in the real estate sector
March 17
- Portugal: Valeo’s first student residence in Paranhos is close to completion and the construction works for a second student residence in Amial has started
- Russell Group university rents 27 per cent higher than the rest of the UK’s top institutions
- Cohoteling, the new trend which allows locals to enjoy the services of a hotel without sleeping in it
- Pandemic leads to Empiric Student Property swinging to a £24m loss
- Are cities investment dead-zones or will they bounce back post-Covid?
- ULI Europe Young Leaders Introduce ‘New Real Estate Vanguard’ With Podcast Series
March 16
- Unite Students forecasts full occupancy and ‘rapid recovery’ in next academic year after posting big loss
- Nuveen Real Estate commits to net zero carbon global portfolio by 2040
- International Campus snaps up Aachen student property
- Finalists Announced: 2021 ULI Hines Student Competition – Europe
- How is The Student Hotel working on reducing their carbon footprint?
March 15
- The future of student housing and PBSA according to 4 industry reports
- Harrison Street and CA Ventures JV to acquire and develop PBSA in UK
- Revealed – where are the best places for property investment in Europe?
- Cladding roundup – understanding and tackling the ongoing crisis
- Focus on long term return essential to unlock investment in social value, says Urban Land Institute report
- The living of the future - effects of urbanization on forms of living in Germany [German]
- Why student accommodation will remain resilient - Article by Brian Welsh
March 12
- Germany: "A crisis always leads to more demand for education as a route to finding a better job" said Philipp Ellebracht, group head of sales, Corestate Capital Group: “That’s why mid-term to long-term we expect demand for student housing to increase. Another positive factor is that it can be turned into serviced apartments or co-living spaces, providing more stability and cash flow during a crisis.”
- Ireland focuses on UK/EU relationship in three-year higher ed strategy
- The UK government has announced that applications for funding through the Turing Scheme are now open. The £110 million Erasmus+ replacement will fund 35,000 global exchanges from September 2021.
- Proptech sector confidence riding high, says MetaProp
March 11
March 10
- The university rent scandal: how students have been left picking up the pandemic bill – direct link to video: https://youtu.be/GD9N4QTRJIg
- Bounce back expected in the German investment market
- Revealed – three European countries seeing tremendous real estate growth
- Report: Rethinking International Exchange with Digital
- Developer/contractor model proves its value at Elmstead Place PBSA
- Hines appoints Head of Facilities Management – Living, Europe. A core focus of this role is on its living portfolio spanning its Build to Rent (BTR) and Purpose Built Student Accommodation (PBSA)
- Sunway RE Capital and MBU Capital have forged a transcontinental partnership to invest and manage Purpose Built Student Accommodation (PBSA) assets in the United Kingdom
- Student mental health: UUK asks government to step in
- Cushman & Wakefield: COVID-19 real estate impacts on Italy, Ireland, Germany
March 9
- Designing for “digital natives” is more important than ever – Interview with Darren Gardner, COO of Nido Student
- Xior Student Housing is happy to announce a successful capital increase of €178.9 million
- Introducing "Digital Estate" a platform that supports specialist real estate in speeding up and keeping up to date with tech innovation
March 8
- Quares Student Housing inks deal for 129 units in Brussels
- TPG Real Estate Partners (TREP) and Round Hill Capital grow student accommodation portfolio in Germany. Both assets will be operated by Nido Student.
- Harrison Street and Alta Real Estate sign deal on new student housing project in Salamanca
- A ‘next-gen’ co-living project finds a home in Prague’s Holešovice district. Promising “next-gen student living,” THE FIZZ occupies a brand new eight-storey building and offers 539 single, double, and twin apartments to Czech and international students.
- Habits during the exchange: Launch of the Green Erasmus survey
- How is the Paris residential market performing?
- How 2020 has Changed International Student Recruitment in the UK
March 6
- Irish Universities to maintain online teaching until September
- Study launched in the Netherlands to understand impact of pandemic on students’ well-being
- Is Asia still the dominant source market of international students?
March 5
- Reframing the student accommodation compensation debate
- Unite extends student rent discount to 10 weeks
- Half year profit at GCP Student Living collapses as pandemic hits income
- UK international students call for tuition fee compensation
- Belgium considers greater PSW rights for int’ls
- Most students say their mental health suffered in pandemic
March 4
- Tamburi enters DoveVivo with 20%
- The Center for Active Design and Harrison Street Form Industry-Changing Partnership to Accelerate the Healthy Building Movement
- DWS forward funds Varde’s €128m Barcelona 22@ project
- Hemsö to invest €85m in Finnish educational campus
- Netherlands: students struggling with anxiety, loneliness and depression
March 3
- Rise in young people considering a move to Spain – how can investors benefit?
- Proactively supporting PBSA employees’ mental health
- Germany: Universities worried about fall in international students
March 2
- BCLP advises KKR on £291m PBSA sale to Greystar
- Student accommodation lettings for the 2021-2022 academic year are down by 5% year on year, according to StuRents
- Greystar Wins 2020 PERE Global Awards in Three Categories
March 1