Executive summary
Since 2011, The Class Foundation has grown into Europe’s leading strategic advisor and convening platform for the Purpose-Built Student Accommodation (PBSA) sector. Representing an ecosystem of 125 partners and nearly three million student beds across Europe, the Foundation operates at the intersection of policy, capital, higher education, and operations to address one of Europe’s most pressing structural challenges: the student housing shortage.
With Europe facing an estimated unmet demand of 3.2 million student beds by 2030, The Class Foundation works to professionalise and unify a historically fragmented sector, while helping unlock an estimated €450 billion investment opportunity for private and institutional capital. Through long-term advocacy, national coordination, and evidence-led research, the Foundation has repositioned student housing as critical infrastructure for education mobility, talent development, and regional competitiveness. In 2024–2025, this work translated into tangible system-level impact.
The Class convened hundreds of public and private stakeholders through European conferences, national forums, and National Action Frameworks across five countries; delivered robust insight through flagship research such as the Student Living Monitor and European PBSA Investment Barometer; and successfully contributed to formal recognition of student housing within the European Commission’s policy agenda. This Impact Report captures how collaboration, credible data, and sustained dialogue are enabling more aligned decision-making and laying the foundations for scalable, long-term delivery—ultimately improving the quality, affordability, and availability of student housing across Europe.
Strategic Impact & System Change
The first half of the Impact Report sets out how we deliver system-level change by acting as a strategic convenor, advisor, and evidence-led voice for the Purpose-Built Student Accommodation (PBSA) sector in Europe. In a fragmented policy and delivery landscape, we focus on alignment, credibility, and coordination to reposition student housing as essential social and economic infrastructure.
Together with our partner community, we represent 125 organisations and nearly 3 million student beds across Europe. Since 2024, we have convened 120+ public and private stakeholders to co-develop five National Action Frameworks in Italy, France, Spain, the Netherlands, and the UK. These frameworks create structured pathways for public–private collaboration, overcoming policy inertia and enabling more coherent delivery at national and local levels.
At a European scale, our flagship events, including The Class Conference and Smart Student Living, bring together senior leaders from 250+ organisations each year, spanning investors, operators, universities, policymakers, and technology providers. This convening power is reinforced by robust, evidence-led insight.
Our Student Living Monitor captures perspectives from ~20,000 students, while our European PBSA Investment Barometer reflects investor sentiment across €18bn+ in managed assets, with respondents signalling €20bn in near-term capital deployment.
Collectively, this work culminated in formal recognition by the European Commission of student housing as critical infrastructure. Part I demonstrates how evidence-led advocacy and coordinated action are reshaping policy dialogue, strengthening market confidence, and laying the foundations for sustainable PBSA delivery across Europe.
Community, Collaboration & Sector Delivery
The Impact Report also highlights the collective strength of our partner community and how we translate collaboration into practical delivery, leadership development, and sector-wide progress. Since 2011, we have worked to build a trusted, pan-European PBSA community grounded in shared standards, peer exchange, and a long-term commitment to improving student living.
In 2025, our community delivered tangible outcomes through programmes designed to accelerate innovation, recognise excellence, and strengthen leadership capacity. Through the Best-in-Class Awards, we continue to celebrate organisations and initiatives setting new benchmarks for quality and impact across student housing.
The Awards attract 100–130 applications annually, with public voting exceeding 52,000 votes in 2025, reflecting strong engagement and growing sector pride.
Through Smart Student Living, we bring operators, investors, and technology providers together to address shared challenges around sustainability, student wellbeing, data integration, and operational resilience.
These forums enable practical, solution-led exchange and accelerate collective learning across the sector. We also invest in the next generation of PBSA leaders. In 2025, we hosted eight Class Community Hubs, engaging 250+ current and emerging leaders across four core themes.
These peer-led forums create space for open dialogue, shared problem-solving, and proactive readiness. Together with our partner community, we convert alignment into action—strengthening leadership, accelerating innovation, and supporting more effective student housing delivery across Europe.
Join us on our journey.
Building on the future of student living.
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