(Bloomberg) -- Britain's biggest student housing provider sees domestic and international students filling dorms to pre-pandemic levels this year.
Unite Group Plc said almost eight in 10 dorms were already filled for the next academic year, which starts in September, according to a company statement on Friday. Unite expects occupancy to rise to 97% by the time students arrive, compared to 98% in the two years prior to the pandemic. Last year, only 69% of rooms were leased.
The surge in international students applying for British universities has been driven by the loosening of travel restrictions, while grade inflation has helped more U.K. students qualify for places, Unite said in the statement. Overall university applications are 7% higher than pre-pandemic levels.
Unite warned that they plan to pass on some of the rising building costs to students by increasing rents.
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