The Future of Student Accommodation

Executive Summary

Students at UCL are facing unprecedented challenges in accessing affordable accommodation. Over the past 15 years the student housing landscape has transformed, with student numbers rising significantly while the proportion of university owned accommodation has declined and private provision has dominated new delivery. The result is a market in which affordability is deteriorating and students face growing risk of hardship, insecure housing, or being priced out of attending university.

This is a strategic risk to UCL’s ambitions on access, student experience, retention and success, and will impact its ability to recruit and support a diverse student body in a highly competitive global city. Without intervention, the impacts will fall disproportionately on students from lower-income backgrounds, disabled students, care-experienced students, and those without family support in London. Coordinated intervention by Universities, the Government and other public bodies is urgently needed to address these challenges.

This report outlines six evidence-based recommendations to UCL, Transport for London and the UK Government. The recommendations are focused on tackling the affordability and supply crises facing students. They were developed through a deliberative research process with a demographically representative group of UCL students, ensuring that UCL’s future approach is grounded in sector evidence and informed by lived experience.

1. UCL should adopt an affordability policy for UCL accommodation
2. UCL should commit funding to expand the number of UCL beds on offer
3. UCL should adopt strict criteria for entering into nomination agreements with private housing providers
4. UCL should diversify supply by entering into partnerships with non-profit student housing providers and support the expansion of non-profit student housing cooperatives
5. Transport for London should support commuter students and students who live further away from University campuses by introducing student transport discounts
6. The Government should introduce incentives to universities to build more student housing in line with increases in student numbers

For UCL, the priority is to adopt a clear affordability framework for its own accommodation and to commit to expanding affordable supply. This should include working in partnership to accelerate delivery and improve value for money.

Where UCL relies on partnerships with private purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) providers, it should set firm conditions for nomination agreements so that students receive genuine value for money: minimum affordability levels, enforceable quality standards, and strong accountability where problems arise. UCL should also diversify partnerships by working with non-profit providers and supporting the growth of student housing cooperatives.

Beyond UCL, we call on Transport for London to improve support for commuter students through more effective student travel discounts to support students facing rising housing costs. To the Government, we call for the introduction of incentives that enable Universities to build more student housing in line with rising student numbers, drawing on successful approaches used internationally.

Introduction

UCL’s housing landscape has transformed significantly in recent years. Against a backdrop of rising student numbers, the supply of UCL accommodation has markedly not kept up with the increased numbers. In 2025-26 just 22% of new UCL students are living in UCL owned or managed accommodation, down from 27% in 2019-20 [1]. Simultaneously, housing costs have increased rapidly, with the average purpose-built student room in London now costing more than the maximum maintenance loan, intensifying financial pressure and increasing the risk that students are priced out of studying in the capital [2].

UCL have acknowledged that student accommodation is ‘an area requiring improvement’. [3] To address this, they are currently developing a ‘UCL Estates 2050 Vision’, a 25 year plan ‘to improve [their] extensive estate to inspire and enable the very best in [their] students and staff’. [4] A key part of this is formulating a clear vision for the future provision of accommodation through the development of a Student Accommodation Strategy.

The Student Accommodation Strategy is expected to include

1. a capital plan for bolstering the availability of beds at UCL,
2. a plan to improve the quality of accommodation to make it more inclusive and sustainable, and
3. guidelines on partnerships with the private sector on Purpose Build Student Accommodation housing developments

Decisions taken now will have long-term consequences for affordability, student experience and UCL’s ability to widen access. We already represent students interest on housing issues, with elected officers regularly meeting with senior UCL staff, supporting the development of the Student Accommodation Strategy and negotiating annual rent setting for UCL halls.

In this report, we set out Students’ Union UCL’s position to guide the final stages of confirming UCL’s Student Accommodation Strategy and as we move into implementation of the strategy. We hope this will help UCL deliver accommodation that is affordable, high quality, and aligned with UCL’s strategic goals on access and student success.

Key Definitions:

• Purpose Built Student Accommodation (PBSA): PBSA is housing specifically designed and constructed for students to live in. PBSA can be built and operated by a range of operators, including Universities, private providers and non profit providers such as housing associations.
• London Plan Affordable Student Rent (ASR): A financial cap defined in the London Plan 2021, where for a room to be classified as ‘affordable’ the total rent for an academic year must be equal to or less than 55% of the maximum maintenance loan a new full-time student can receive.
• Modular Housing: housing which is manufactured in a factory setting then delivered and assembled on a permanent foundation at the final location.
• UCL Estates 2050 Vision: A three-stage strategy developed by University College London to develop its estate, improving and ensuring better use of spaces to support UCL’s strategic ambitions around teaching, research and student experience.

Affordable Rent

Recommendation 1: UCL should adopt an affordability policy for UCL accommodation

The National Picture

In recent years, against a backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic and the student cost of living crisis, UK housing costs have increased rapidly. In 2024-25 the average rent cost for a room in London reached £13,595, overtaking the maximum maintenance loan (then £13,348) for the first time. [5] The median maintenance loan received by students in London is £8,500 [6], with freezes in income thresholds since 2008/09 meaning that the proportion of UK students receiving the maximum loan has fallen from 57% in 2012/13 to 38% in 2021/22.

Consequently, students are increasingly struggling to find affordable accommodation, resulting in increased numbers choosing to live at home and commute longer distances, [7] and having to work increased hours in part-time employment alongside their studies. [8]

National research shows the scale of financial stress. The National Union of Students found that 26% of students have experienced difficulties paying their rent in full, [9] while Save the Student found that 36% of students have considered dropping out of University due to the cost of their rent, and 8% nationally had experienced homelessness. [10]

UCL Rent Increases

Following national trends, rent at UCL owned accommodation has also increased at a faster rate than maintenance support (see Table 1), resulting in accommodation now being unaffordable for a larger proportion of students. Demonstrating this, the average rent has increased from 70% of the maximum maintenance loan in 2021-22, to 80% for 2026-27.

In 2026-2027, 287 beds provided by UCL, 6.36% of the total stock, were offered at ASR level. The ASR level is £7,774 a year, equivalent to £199/week for a 39 week term or £152/week for a 51 week term.

Affordability policies across UK Universities

Several UK Universities have adopted affordability policies for the accommodation they own and operate. King’s College London have an Affordable Accommodation Scheme Policy [11] which states that 20% of rooms will have a rent cap set at £169 per week, significantly cheaper than the ASR level for a 39 week term.

Imperial College London have adopted a rent framework which commits to rent at 38% of undergraduate beds being limited to the ASR level. [12] The Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI) have stated that ‘all institutions should have an affordability policy to ensure they do not disengage from this [affordability] agenda’. [13]

UCL should adopt an affordability policy aligned to the London Plan’s Affordable Student Rent benchmark, guaranteeing an expansion of affordable beds and aiming for at least 35% of beds to be provided at or below the ASR level. As a minimum, UCL should commit to increasing the proportion of rooms at or below ASR and to protecting a pipeline of genuinely affordable rooms within its overall accommodation mix. This would help to:

• Alleviate financial pressures facing students and lower the risk of hardship.
• Improve access and widen participation to UCL by ensuring that accommodation costs do not exclude students from lower income backgrounds.

Expanding Supply

Recommendation 2: UCL should commit funding to expand the number of UCL beds on offer

UCL needs a plan to expand the supply of affordable student accommodation under UCL control. University owned provision is typically more affordable than private PBSA, allows student input in conditions & standards, and enables UCL to align accommodation with its strategic goals on access and student success. Delivering an expansion of University owned accommodation would help address both the supply gap and affordability crises facing students.

The need for more housing

Over the past 15 years the gap between the number of students in the UK needing housing and the supply of PBSA has grown exponentially. Following the removal of student number caps in 2015/16, alongside increased international student recruitment, UK student numbers have increased by 26% since 2014-15, from 2.27 million to 2.86 million in 2024-25. [14] At UCL, student numbers increased by 70%, from 30,555 to 51,795, over the same period. Over the last decade, just 246,000 new PBSA beds were delivered nationally, taking the total number nationally to 743,000. [15] CBRE estimate that ‘there is an unmet demand in the UK of around 600,000 bedspaces’. [16]

Over the period from 2002-03 to 2025-26, UCL’s student population grew by 200%, while the supply of UCL owned accommodation increased by only 81%. As a result, the gap between student numbers and UCL owned beds has widened greatly, rising from 15,881 to 50,663. The share of students UCL can house has fallen from 13.4% to just 8.1%. If beds provided through nomination agreements with private providers are accounted for, the percentage of students that can be housed rises to 12.2%.

Based on its current growth trajectory, UCL’s student population is expected to reach around 61,600 by 2028–29. Not all students require a room, but research commissioned by UCL indicates that nearly 37,000 students will still need to secure housing in London by that point, including more than 21,000 first year students.

The dangers of an overreliance on the private sector

Prior to 2007, new student housing developments were dominated by Universities. [17] In the two decades since, many have argued they lack the financing necessary to expand their housing supply due to significant cuts in public funding. In their place, private PBSA providers have dominated new student housing delivery, with the number of private PBSA direct let beds increasing by 125% and now accounting for 44% of student beds across the UK. In contrast, University owned beds fell by 16,000 over the same period. [18]

Increases in private ownership of PBSA have driven up rental costs for students, reflecting the contrast in priorities between University operators and private providers. Universities often consult student representatives in rent setting processes, balancing the need to cover rising costs and raise revenue for other budgetary priorities with concerns regarding affordability for students and priorities around widening participation.

Private providers exist to maximise returns for their investors and do not involve universities or students in rent setting processes. Following research into the UK’s accommodation landscape, HEPI concluded that ‘issues of educational access and widening participation are not core concerns for private sector PBSA providers’. [19] Private operators often advertise specific rates of return on investment to prospective investors, building in future rental cost increases.

When comparing rental costs across different types of accommodation, the sharpest increases can be seen in the private PBSA direct let sector (see Graph 4). In 2024-25 the average annual rent in the private PBSA direct let sector was £19,562, compared to £11,940 in the private rental sector and £11,763 at university owned accommodation across London. [20]

Successful examples of University owned delivery

Despite private PBSA providers delivering the vast majority of new PBSA, many Universities have continued to successfully finance the delivery of University owned accommodation, including UCL.

UCL East, One Pool Street: UCL East was constructed by the University with a total project cost of £250 million. The development included a PBSA block, One Pool Street, with 552 rooms. The UCL East masterplan received extensive financial support for the Government, with a £100 million contribution. [21]

Warwick University, Cryfield Village: In 2021 Warwick University completed the development of a £57 million Cryfield Village project. The development, which includes 14 buildings – a mixture of townhouses and clusterblocks - offers 828 student rooms. Cryfield Standard, a PBSA block that was revamped as part of the development, features 253 beds (approximately a quarter of the beds available across the village) at £5360 per year, £2209 below the ASR level.

University College London, Inter-collegiate Halls: Universities have also pursued the development of inter-collegiate housing expansions. The University of London, a federal university umbrella organisation with 17 member institutions, own and operate 7 halls of residence. The Garden Halls, a 1,200 room development which replaced older halls built in the 1950s, was opened in 2017, [22] while Eleanor Rosa House, a 33 story block with 511 bedrooms, was opened in 2019. [23]

The case for UCL to invest in student housing

University owned developments do not necessarily offer students better quality or value for money by virtue of being University owned. However, average rents at University owned accommodation are significantly lower than private PBSA rents. In 2024/25 the average London weekly rent for University owned accommodation was £232, compared to £298 for privately owned rooms used by Universities and £395 for private direct lets. [24]

The key advantage is the extent of control universities have to set affordability standards and balance financial sustainability with access and student welfare. This contrasts with private models that are structurally incentivised to maximise returns.

Expanding UCL owned accommodation, whether delivered solely by UCL or in partnership with other Universities, is a viable option despite financial constraints, as demonstrated by the examples highlighted. Bolstering the supply of university owned accommodation would ensure UCL can:

• Maintain the ability to determine rents for a greater proportion of housing supply.
• Ensure all surpluses are reinvested in student accommodation.
• Keep rents at affordable levels.

Choosing Nomination Partners

Recommendation 3: UCL should adopt strict criteria for entering into nomination agreements with private housing providers, ensuring value for money in relation to the quality and cost of the accommodation and that at least 35% of rooms are at Affordable Student Rent levels or below.

While UCL should continue expanding its own housing stock and avoid excessive dependence on the private sector, private providers will continue to play a significant role in meeting student housing needs in coming years. By adopting strict criteria for entering into nomination agreements, UCL can ensure that any beds secured through private partners offer genuine value for money and are priced as affordably as possible.

Over the past decade, UCL has significantly increased its engagement with private PBSA providers. In 2014, UCL entered a long term nomination agreement with Unite Students for Unite St Pancras Way. Since then, UCL has entered additional nomination agreements with a range of private providers, including Urbanest and Hurlington Capital. For the 2026-27 academic year, UCL will have 2285 beds provided through nomination agreements with private providers, representing 34% of their total accommodation offering.

Regulation of private PBSA

The 2021 London Plan introduced Affordable Student Rent (ASR) as a benchmark for genuinely affordable PBSA in London. ASR is defined as rent for an academic year at or below 55% of the maximum maintenance loan for a new full-time student living away from home in London. The London Plan also sets an expectation that at least 35% of rooms in new PBSA developments should be at or below ASR.

UCL’s partnership with Urbanest on Urbanest Canary Wharf is an example of a private PBSA development shaped by London Plan regulations. The new accommodation will feature 1,672 student beds, with 35% of these rooms at or below the ASR level.

However, not all new PBSA developments meet the 35% ASR target. Research by planning consultancy Lichfields found that since the adoption of the 2021 London Plan just 69% of schemes provided at least 35% of rooms at ASR. [25] Other schemes were able to pledge mechanisms such as payments in lieu to achieve planning approval, effectively offsetting their affordable student housing contribution.

Concerns have also been raised regarding the quality of private PBSA developments. In 2024 Unite Students, the UK’s biggest private student housing student provider, faced a series of legal challenges coordinated by the tenants’ rights group, Flat Justice. A tribunal awarded 65% of students’ rent to be repaid for London students at Emily Bowes Court, North Lodge and Station Court, with bedbug infestations, persistent plumbing problems, excessive heat, frequent breakdown of lifts and mould all being cited. [26]

UCL should therefore set the following minimum standards for any nomination agreements:

• A guarantee that at least 35% of beds are provided at or below ASR.
• Clear and enforceable quality controls to ensure the accommodation meets high quality standards and issues are addressed if things go wrong.

Diversifying Partners

Recommendation 4: UCL should diversify supply by entering into partnerships with non-profit student housing providers and support the expansion of non-profit student housing cooperatives

Non-profit and cooperative housing models can provide structurally lower rents because they are not incentivised to extract returns in the same way as for profit providers and they can reinvest surpluses into maintenance, improvements and increasing supply.

For UCL, adopting these models could offer a route to increase affordable accommodation for students through professionally run charities that complementing UCL’s own provision and reducing overreliance on higher cost private PBSA.

Examples of not for profit student housing operators:

Unipol Student Homes: A student housing charity established in 1975, house 3,259 students and 245 student families across Leeds, Nottingham and Bradford [27]

Southern Housing: A charitable registered society, own and operate 1,299 beds [28] across the UK, working with Higher Education Institutions including Middlesex University, SOAS and various NHS Teaching Hospital Trusts [29]

Student housing cooperatives

Student housing cooperatives are non-profit, democratically managed residential organisations owned by student members. They are independent from universities and students’ unions but their growth is often supported by those institutions. These typically offer much lower rents and democratic control, giving student direct influence over maintenance, budgeting and standards. They could form part of the affordability mix available to students.

North America is where student housing cooperatives have been scaled up most effectively. North American Students for Co-operation, which has 32 members across Canada and the USA, represents around 4,000 student members. [30]

Berkley Student Cooperative is the largest member, with 1,300 student members across 17 houses and 3 apartment cooperatives. The cooperative was founded in 1933 to meet the need for affordable student housing during the Great Depression. Its expansion was supported by Berkley University, who provided land for housing to be built, as well as by low interest loans from the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

The student housing cooperative sector in the UK is smaller in scale. Edinburgh Student Housing Cooperative is the UK’s largest, with 106 members. Opened in 2014, it received signifcant support from the University of Edinburgh and Edinburgh University Students’ Association, with the Rector organising meetings with the City Council’s Housing Leader who helped the student group identify and negotiate a lease.

Student housing co-operatives have since opened in Birmingham and Brighton, with the National UK Student Co-op Federation raising over £300,000 through a community share offer to support in purchasing further properties.

Moving forward, UCL should:

• Identify non-profit PBSA operators for potential partnerships.
• Support the growth of student housing co-operatives, commissioning a feasibility study on how UCL could support them with access to space and resources where appropriate.

Supporting Commuter Students

Recommendation 5: Transport for London should support commuter students and students who live further away from University campuses by introducing further student transport discounts

Rising housing costs mean that increased numbers of students are living at home or finding accommodation further away from campus to reduce costs. For commuter students, high travel costs can reduce the frequency of on-campus participation and directly affect attendance, engagement, and the wider educational and social experience. The introduction of transport discounts for students would help ease financial pressures and ensure that students who have been forced to commute longer distances are able to benefit from a full University experience.

46% of UK students classify themselves as commuter students, of whom 20% stayed at home to study out of necessity. [31] Research from the Sutton Trust has found that students who stay at home to study are disproportionately likely to be from lower-income backgrounds. [32] Data from Students’ Union UCL’s Student Life Survey found that 55% of UCL students had a commute to University of at least 30 minutes, with 16% commuting for 1 hour or more and 2% for more than 2 hours. 19% of new UCL students live at home with a parent or guardian and 9% live outside of London. [33]

National research from the NUS found that 20% of students have missed classes due to travel costs and 35% have cut down on extracurricular activities. [34] Costs are particularly high for students in London, where public transport is the most expensive of any city in the world. [35]

While concessions are available to students, the current landscape of concessions for students is complex and fragmented and students travelling on the tube ‘pay as you go’ at peak times pay the same fare as employed commuters. Peak pricing on the TfL network was designed to manage discretionary commuter demands – to discourage flexible workers from travelling at the busiest times. For students, this logic does not apply. Student travel is frequently non-discretionary: lectures, seminars, clinical placements, and college start times are fixed.

Introducing discounts for students travelling at peak times would address this inequity, recognising that travel times are fixed for many students and the severe financial challenges many face after years of declining maintenance support.

Moving forwards, UCL should work with Students’ Union UCL to support commuter students, including by making the case to Transport for London for the introduction of student transport discounts.

Learning from International Examples

Recommendation 6: The Government should introduce incentives to Universities to build more student housing in line with increases in student numbers

The UK’s student accommodation system is increasingly shaped by private PBSA provision, with affordability and supply failing to keep pace with demand. While universities continue to deliver accommodation, higher construction and borrowing costs and wider financial pressures constrain what they can do alone. In other European countries, government intervention has helped to unlock the delivery of affordable student housing at scale.

Intervention from the UK Government to support Universities to deliver new student housing would help universities build more accommodation in line with increasing student numbers.

Financial challenges facing UK Universities

UK Universities, having faced cuts in per-student funding and visa restrictions which have decreased enrolments of international students, are facing growing deficits and financial challenges. Universities UK have stated that Universities ‘are now reaching breaking point’ [36] while University and College Union have stated that ‘universities are facing a crisis’. [37] The Office for Student reported that the number of higher education providers forecasting a deficit in 2024-2025 was 45% [38] and 16% of providers face low liquidity of less than 30 days. [39]

International examples

In 2022 the Irish Government directly intervened in the student housing market for the first time. Their goal was to ‘identify the viability gap and plug it’, with five Irish Universities holding planning approval for up to 4,000 student beds for which construction had not started due to financial constraints. Nearly €100 million investment was provided to kickstart the developments.

The Government also support the construction of University-owned accommodation through a loan mechanism, where the Irish Government’s Housing Finance Agency signed a student accommodation funding deal with the European Investment Bank that has allowed Irish Universities to access loans with favourable terms. The capital is offered on the condition that Universities offer rooms below market rates. The delivery of more than 2,700 student beds is targeted through €434 million of financing. [40]

Another strategy that has been used effectively to navigate cost barriers and deliver new student housing is modular and rapid construction. Modular construction allows projects to be completed 20-50% faster than traditional on-site builds, significantly reducing construction costs. [41]

In 2021 the University of Twente in the Netherlands adopted rapid modular construction to deal with a ‘tight housing market’ where it was ‘currently difficult for students to find affordable and suitable accommodation’. 230 housing units were delivered through a collaboration
between the University, a non-profit housing corporation De Veste and Enschede City Council. The agreement to build the units was signed in November 2021 and students moved in by February 2022, just 3 months later. [42]

In 2010 the Australian National University delivered an extension of Ursula Hall, constructing a six-level permanent building housing 180 students using a modular, pre-fabricated solution. The construction was a ‘fast, efficient and economical answer to the Australian National
University’s student housing shortage’, with the modular construction technique saving 6 months of construction time. [43]

Intervention by the UK Government to incentivise Universities to build more student housing in line with student numbers is necessary to deliver an expansion of affordable student housing on the scale needed. Modular construction techniques are one option that could be explored to ensure additional finance is utilised as effectively as possible to maximise high quality supply.

Approach and methodology

The research project was carried out by the Students’ Union UCL Policy and Research team. The project involved three research phases. The first stage focused on refining the research questions and scope of the project, with input from a range of staff and elected student leaders. The second stage consisted of compiling data and evidence, while the third stage involved a deliberative research project to develop a series of policy recommendations.

The scope of the research project was to provide an evidence base, rationale and guidance to inform Students’ Union UCL’s policy positions on student housing. This involved a focus on how the student housing landscape has evolved over the past decade, the current context regarding affordability, supply and the wider policy landscape, and projections for how student landscape is set to develop in the coming years.

Central to the project was establishing a clear student voice, with the choice to pursue a deliberative research methodology to develop student-led recommendations to structure the report around. The project was overseen by a project group consisting of Students’ Union staff and elected student leaders.

The second phase of the research consisted of compiling data and evidence from a range of sources. A rapid literature review was completed bringing together relevant data sources and evidence both internal and external to UCL. A dashboard compiling statistics on rental costs at UCL over the past five years was developed, with metrics evaluating the percentage of housing that was affordable according to London Plan Affordable Student Rent criteria.

A review of sectoral solutions for tackling challenges around housing affordability and supply was also completed, researching examples both internationally and across the UK of different approaches Universities have taken. For each set of examples an evaluation of challenges faced in pursuing these options, and the pros and cons of each approach were developed.

The final stage of the research project consisted in a deliberative research project. The deliberative research exercise with UCL students generated evidence-based recommendations on how student housing issues can be addressed. A deliberative approach was designed to support participants to make informed decisions about complex topics, with participants presented with information and a range of different viewpoints before their opinions were sought, in contrast with traditional qualitative methods that seek to understand viewpoints as they currently exist.

The deliberative research project consisted of three 90-minute sessions held across three weeks. 15 student participants were recruited through a sign-up process that involved screening to ensure the participants selected were demographically representative of the UCL student body across ethnicity, class, fee status and disability, as well as representing the split of types of housing UCL students live in.

The first session focused on establishing a shared factual baseline with a series of evidence packs presented by Students’ Union staff facilitators. The second session focused on deliberation over potential policy options, with evidence supplemented by a short presentation and questions and answers with an expert external speaker – Jim Dickinson, Associate Editor (SUs) at Wonkhe.

The third session consisted of a three stage deliberative sequence. Participants were divided into three topic groups, each starting by drafting concise recommendations before entering a structured carousel to review other groups’ proposals, before returning to their original tables to incorporate peer feedback and suggested adaptations.

Recommendations were then voted on by the whole group, with options to vote to ‘support unconditionally’, ‘support conditionally’, or oppose each recommendation. This ensured the range of opinions amongst participants was captured and the level of consensus reached was accurately recorded.

Endnotes

1 UCL (University College London). (2025). New to UCL 2025-2026 Results. Retrieved from:
https://tableau.ucl.ac.uk/#/views/NewtoUCLSurvey2025/Accommodation

2 Higher Education Policy Institute. (2024). Priced out? The Accommodation Costs Survey 2024: London Edition. Retrieved from: https://www.hepi.ac.uk/2024/12/10/average-student-rents-in-london-overtake-the-maximum-maintenance-loan-the-2024-accommodation-costs-survey/

3 UCL. (2024). Update: UCL Estates 2050 Vision (formerly the Estates Masterplan). Retrieved from:
https://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/2024/nov/update-ucl-estates-2050-vision-formerly-estates-masterplan

4 UCL. (2024). Update: UCL Estates 2050 Vision (formerly the Estates Masterplan). Retrieved from: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/2024/nov/update-ucl-estates-2050-vision-formerly-estates-masterplan

5 Higher Education Policy Institute. (2024). Priced out? The Accommodation Costs Survey 2024: London Edition. Retrieved from: https://www.hepi.ac.uk/2024/12/10/average-student-rents-in-london-overtake-the-maximum-maintenance-loan-the-2024-accommodation-costs-survey/

6 The Sutton Trust. (2023). Student Maintenance Analysis 2023. Retrieved from: https://www.suttontrust.com/our-research/student-maintenance-analysis-2023/

7 UCAS (The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service). (2025). More school leavers living at home for university and college study. Retrieved from: https://www.ucas.com/corporate/news-and-key-documents/news/more-school-leavers-living-at-home-for-university-and-college-study

8 Higher Education Policy Institute. (2025). Student Working Lives. Retrieved from: https://www.hepi.ac.uk/reports/student-working-lives/

9 National Union of Students. (2024). New NUS research reveals extent of student housing crisis. Retrieved from: https://www.nus.org.uk/housing-survey-2024

10 Save the Students. (2026). National Student Accommodation Survey 2026 - Results. Retrieved from: https://www.savethestudent.org/money/surveys/national-student-accommodation-survey-2026.html

11 King’s College London. (2024). King’s Affordable Accommodation Scheme (KAAS) Policy. Retrieved from: https://www.kcl.ac.uk/assets/policyzone/estates/residences-kaas-policy.pdf

12 Imperial College London. (2026). Our approach to hall rents. Retrieved from: https://www.imperial.ac.uk/students/accommodation/about-us/our-approach-to-hall-rents/

13 Higher Education Policy Institute. (2020). Student Accommodation: The Facts. Retrieved from: https://www.hepi.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/HEPI-Student-Accommodation-Report-FINAL.pdf

14 House of Commons Library. (2026). Higher education student numbers. Retrieved from:
https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/CBP-7857/CBP-7857.pdf
21

15 Cushman and Wakefield. (2025). Student Accommodation Report 2025. Retrieved from:
https://digital.cushmanwakefield.com/ukpbsareport2025-09-2025-emea-gbr-en-content-residential/

16 CBRE. (2024). Crisis or opportunity? The UK student housing shortage. Retrieved from:
https://www.cbre.co.uk/insights/articles/crisis-or-opportunity-the-uk-student-housing-shortage

17 Integritas Property Group. The Evolution of Purpose-Built Student Accommodation in the UK: A Journey Through Time. Retrieved from: https://www.integritaspg.com/articles/the-evolution-of-purpose-built-student-accommodation-in-the-uk-a-journey-through-time

18 Cushman and Wakefield. (2025). Student Accommodation Report 2025. Retrieved from:
https://digital.cushmanwakefield.com/ukpbsareport2025-09-2025-emea-gbr-en-content-residential/

19 Higher Education Policy Institute. (2024). Student Accommodation: The State of the Nation in 2024. Retrieved from: https://www.hepi.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Student-Accommodation-The-State-of-the-Nation-in-2024.pdf

20 Higher Education Policy Institute. (2024). Priced out? The Accommodation Costs Survey 2024: London Edition. Retrieved from: https://www.hepi.ac.uk/2024/12/10/average-student-rents-in-london-overtake-the-maximum-maintenance-loan-the-2024-accommodation-costs-survey/ and Students’ Union UCL analysis

21 University College London. (2016). UCL agrees £280m European Investment Bank loan for campus developments. Retrieved from: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/2016/apr/ucl-agrees-ps280m-european-investment-bank-loan-campus-developments

22 Housing Design Awards. (2026). Garden Halls. Retrieved from: https://hdawards.org/scheme/garden-halls/

23 University of London. (2019). First student residents move into Eleanor Rosa House in Stratford. Retrieved from: https://www.london.ac.uk/news-events/news/first-student-residents-move-eleanor-rosa-house-stratford

24 Higher Education Policy Institute. (2024). Priced out? The Accommodation Costs Survey 2024: London Edition. Retrieved from: https://www.hepi.ac.uk/2024/12/10/average-student-rents-in-london-overtake-the-maximum-maintenance-loan-the-2024-accommodation-costs-survey/

25 Lichfields. (2025). Unlocking London’s student housing potential. Retrieved from:
https://lichfields.uk/insight-focus/unlocking-london-s-student-housing-potential

26 HM Courts & Tribunal Services and First-Tier Tribunal (Property Chamber). (2024). Retrieved from: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/hm-courts-and-tribunals-service

27 Unipol Student Homes. (2024). Annual Report and Group Financial Statements 2024. Retrieved from: https://www.unipol.org.uk/media/gz2njbz2/2023-2024-unipol-signed-financial-statements.pdf

28 Southern Housing. (2025). Annual Report 2024-25. Retrieved from: https://www.southernhousing.org.uk/media/2jep0w0w/annual-report-2025.pdf

29 Southern Housing (2025). Student and Short Stay Accommodation. Retrieved from:
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30 Student Co-op National Homes. (2026). Our Partners. Retrieved from:
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31 FE News. (2024). Cost-of-living drives university fragmentation as nearly half of UK students classify themselves as ‘commuter students’. Retrieved from: https://www.fenews.co.uk/student-view/cost-of-living-drives-university-fragmentation-as-nearly-half-of-uk-students-classify-themselves-as-commuter-students/

32 The Sutton Trust. (2018). Home and Away. Retrieved from:
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33 UCL. (2025). New to UCL 2025-2026 Results. Retrieved from:
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34 National Union of Students. (2023). Move It: Student Travel Survey Report. Retrieved from:
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35 Citti Magazine. (2025). TfL price hike makes London’s public transport most expensive in the world. Retrieved from: https://www.cittimagazine.co.uk/rail/tfl-price-hike-makes-londons-public-transport-most-expensive-in-the-world.html

36 Universities UK. (2025). Universities UK responds to Office for Students’ annual financial sustainability report. Retrieved from: https://www.universitiesuk.ac.uk/what-we-do/creating-voice-our-members/media-releases/universities-uk-responds-office-students

37 University and College Union. (2025). The state of Britain’s universities: a crisis unfolding in plain sight. Retrieved from: https://www.ucu.org.uk/media/15020/The-state-of-Britains-universities-a-crisis-unfolding-in-plain-sight-2025/pdf/UCU_-The_state_of_Britain_s_universities-_a_crisis_unfolding_in_plain_sight-a5_12pp-_v2.pdf

38 Office for Students. (2025). Financial sustainability of higher education providers in England. Retrieved from: https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/media/upycgog5/ofs-2025_26_1.pdf

39 Office for Students. (2026). Financial pressures and financial sustainability. Retrieved from: https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/for-providers/finance-and-funding/financial-pressures-and-financial-sustainability/

40 European Investment Bank. (2023). Ireland: EIB and HFA back construction of new accommodation for thousands of students across Ireland. Retrieved from: https://www.eib.org/en/press/all/2023-398-eib-hfa-back-construction-new-accommodation-for-students-across-ireland

41 NCL Urban Housing. (2024). Modular Housing – an answer to the student housing crisis? Retrieved from: https://web.archive.org/web/20240416200506/https://nclurbandesign.org/modular-housing-an-answer-to-the-student-housing-crisis/

42 University of Twente. (2021). Major boost for Kennispark Twente housing project. Retrieved from: https://www.utwente.nl/en/news/2021/11/286669/major-boost-for-kennispark-twente-housing-project

43 Architectus. (2025). ANU Laurus Wing Modular Student Accommodation. Retrieved from:
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