StudentCrowd recently released a report focusing on Supply & Demand Dynamics across all markets.
Using a cross-section of data from UCAS and HESA, we identified the following trends in applications this year compared to last cycle:
- The number of 18-year-old applicants is plateauing with a +0.7% increase
- UK mature applicants have dropped by -5.2%
- The number of international applicants has also plateaued with a 0.7% increase
If we dive a little bit deeper into international markets, we can see that changes to visas and the local economy have seen a reduction of -46% in applicants from Nigeria — almost half that of last cycle. Changes to visas have also impacted Indian applicants, with a -4% decline, while applicants from China have increased (+3%). And despite this increase, it is worth noting that last year there was a -4% reduction in Chinese applicants, and that we are still seeing 300 fewer Chinese applicants this year than we saw in 2022, meaning the growth of this market is plateauing. In contrast, Indonesian and Turkish applicants are significantly on the rise as this year’s emerging markets.
Rising accommodation prices and fewer incentives being offered are driving up rental prices, bringing affordability into question more than ever. Our unique StudentCrowd insights within the Supply & Demand Dynamics report show that affordability is not about price but, rather, perception of value for money.
A high proportion of international students opt for purpose-built student accommodation and different nationalities and cultures will inevitably have different budgets and perceptions of value.
Maximising occupancy and yields can only be achieved with high quality data; many of our partners get this support by delving into the StudentCrowd Insight tool to answer their national, horizon-scanning questions as well as their micro-location challenges. But being able to explore operational data market by market is only part of the story — combining it with student sentiment can catapult decision-making, especially when it comes to international student engagement.
StudentCrowd reviews offer a unique, trustworthy and objective view into student perception and experience. Thats why we have analysed all international reviews left this cycle so far (5,101 reviews left between 1st October 2023 and 21st May 2024) across 733 halls, 91% of which are private halls. International accommodation reviews account for 45% of our total reviews over this time period.
Overall, international students gave an average rating of 4.54 out of 5 stars compared to domestic students who scored on average 4.38.
What are international students most satisfied with?
We took each review score category and provided an average from all of our international reviews to see if there were any clear leaders in areas of satisfaction.
Location has slightly higher satisfaction levels than other areas, with management and WiFi leading over cleaning and social spaces. Value for money and social experience ratings are trailing a little behind.
Review themes comparison
Additionally, we split our reviews into two groups - one where the rating is 4 stars and above overall, and one below 4 stars - to see how satisfaction differs.
84% of international reviews scored an overall rating of 4 stars and above, representing a highly satisfied cohort when it comes to accommodation.
Location and management scored highest overall (scoring 4.84 and 4.83 out of 5 respectively), leading WiFi (scoring 4.78) by a small margin, with cleaning, social spaces and social experience on par with one another (ranging from 4.7 - 4.75).
The most frequently occurring sentiment is related to staff and the feel of the accommodation, so we are seeing a high frequency of related words like friendly, home, helpful and supportive.
Value scored 4.68 out of 5 from this segment, which indicates that those happy with their facilities and overall experience feel like they are getting value for money.
Only 16% of international reviews rated their accommodation under 4 stars overall.
The themes in these reviews rated below 4 stars are mixed. Location and WiFi ratings stand out strongly as positive factors (scoring 3.9 and 3.56 respectively), while it’s interesting to note that management ratings have dropped comparatively (to 3.24), and social experience scores are by far the lowest-rated category (scoring 2.82), with a 1.08 rating difference between that and location.
Moreover, the mention of staff is frequent within this group of reviews. While the sentiment captured here is mixed, we can derive that staff and management are having a slight polarising effect, as students’ dissatisfaction largely relates to poor maintenance and facilities.
These factors inevitably impact their perception of value for money. Perhaps the most striking takeaway is that the lowest scores in this group are for both of the social categories. Students’ social experience in a building is clearly negatively impacting their overall experience and, in turn, their perception of value for money. The reviews that score below 4 stars overall yield an average rating of 3.07 for value — 31% less than those who gave an overall score of 4 stars and above.
Key takeaways
- It’s impossible to assess the more intangible parts of the lived experience when only using operational data; adding the layer of student sentiment is key.
- For students in general, the sense of belonging is really important, but for international students, it is absolutely crucial.
- Investing in the small touches to bring a sense of ‘home’, providing comfort and safety alongside a robust maintenance approach, is where the greatest success can be found.
- In order to provide this, being agile and responding quickly to feedback is critical.
Read more StudentCrowd content on our resources page.
To find out how StudentCrowd can support your access to unrivalled operational data and student sentiment, get in touch today.
