Foreign Student Accommodation Growing

As another college in England opens an accommodation block specifically for international students, we look at the growing trend for large housing developments designed with non-UK students in mind.                                                                                                                  _____________________________________________

Gloucestershire College unveiled a brand new accommodation block over the weekend to cope with the increasing numbers of international students coming to study in the area. The £1.5million development has 35 rooms and over half of them have already been snapped up for the academic year. This is, however, far from a one-off case, but actually part of a much larger trend in the UK.

New Developments

Large student halls are being built at faster and faster rates throughout the UK, as property developers look to invest in the lucrative market. Just last week, student housing company Unite Group announced record profits, alongside plans for huge new developments which will provide thousands of new beds. Similarly, the developers responsible for the MEN Arena in Manchester revealed that they are now entering the student housing market for the first time.

There is one simple reason for why property developers are growing increasingly interested in student housing aimed specifically at international students; there is a huge demand for it and it is growing all the time. 

Demand Outstrips Supply

In a number of cities throughout the UK, there is currently a massive gap between the total number of students and the number of housing places for them. In London for example, the total number of students increased by 6% last year and although the number of new rooms currently being created has almost doubled, the developers simply cannot keep up. When looking at just non-UK student numbers, a similar situation can be seen.

Indeed, the situation is actually exaggerated with international students, as amongst this group, there appears to be a higher demand for large accommodation blocks. A survey done at Nottingham University in 2008 showed that far more foreign students would prefer to live in larger student developments than UK students. 31% of the non-UK students surveyed said they have a preference for larger student developments rather than private rented housing, whilst just 16% of UK students said the same.

"A community away from home"

The reason for such figures can be put down to a number of reasons. Richard Hewlett, a director at Gloucestershire College, believes that "a lot of the students stay with families but a lot of them prefer self-catering accommodation". Similarly, Maria, an international student from Cuba studying at LSE and living at International Students House in London, explained why she chose to live in a larger student accommodation development:

"It's nice to have a community away from home. I like being with other students from around the world who I can learn from."

Whatever the reason, it is clear that many overseas students coming to study in the UK would prefer to live in large halls with others in their situation. This fact, coupled with the desire of property developers to invest in the market, means that the current trend for building international student accommodation doesn't look like stopping any time soon.

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