Dedicated student accommodation is set to top 144,000 beds over the next two years, with almost 39,000 beds in the current pipeline.
The latest Urbis Student Accommodation Benchmarks report shows purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) supply was set to reach 144,300 beds by 2027, with 1045 beds expected to be completed this year and an additional 11,200 beds to be constructed between 2025 and 2027.
Student Accommodation Council Executive Director Torie Brown said there were currently around 38,900 beds in the pipeline, with Queensland having the most under construction.
Ms Brown said the new data comes as the Federal Government recently announced that public universities would be able to grow their international student numbers in 2026 if they could demonstrate the delivery of additional student accommodation.
She said this was alongside a 25,000-place increase to the National Planning Level for international students, lifting the 2026 allocation to 295,000, up from 270,000 in 2025.
“With the election behind us, investors in student accommodation are looking at Australia with confidence again.
“A strong wave of new supply is set to go live in the coming years, with the number of student beds estimated to reach 144,300 by 2027.”
Ms Brown said Victoria surpassed New South Wales in the number of future beds, but most supply remained in the approval stage.
She said Australia had around 6.7 full-time On-Campus University Students per PBSA Bed, with the ACT the highest provision at 2.7 and WA the lowest provision at 9.2.
The data shows Queensland sits at 6.9 On-Campus University Students per PBSA Bed and has 2091 beds in the approval stage, 3147 approved and 3601 under construction, making up a pipeline of 8839.
“With the ability of universities to grow their international student intake now linked to providing accommodation, this strong pipeline should give the university sector confidence that it can partner with the private student accommodation sector,” Ms Brown said.
“The private sector has the scale, expertise and experience to deliver high-quality housing that supports both international and domestic students.”
She said supply was largely focused on the traditionally bigger markets on the east coast, though Western Australia was gaining momentum with new supply on the horizon, as more than 3260 beds were awaiting approval.
