Learning to grow: Increasing enrollment signals promise for purpose­-built student accommodation in central Europe

Student enrollment figures in central Europe have remained stable in the majority of coun­tries despite the pandemic. According to BONARD, a market research firm specializing in student housing, modest gains between 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 were registered in the Netherlands (+1.9 percent), Luxembourg (+1.7 percent) and the Czech Republic (+1.6 percent).

Wherever student enrollment experienced a temporary dip, either because the COVID-19 crisis prompted high school graduates to postpone uni­versity enrollment, or because they were kept from enrolling abroad by travel restrictions, the figures bounced back quickly to their pre-crisis levels — once lockdown measures were eased or rescinded. The main driver of the demand for student hous­ing was an increase in the number of international students, which is particularly relevant for PBSA. According to BONARD, the number of students from overseas in central Europe has been fastest to rise in the Netherlands (+12.2 percent), fo