Changes within the U.S. government, economy and student preferences have caused some noticeable movements within the international student housing landscape.
There’s been a running joke since the pandemic that claims we’ve all been living in “unprecedented times” for so long that they’ve starting to feel precedented. This tongue-in-cheek phrase has been relied upon to express the constant chaos and uncertainty that’s become the norm. Today, it seems like nothing to talk of pandemics, economic upheaval or global crises as if they’re run of the mill and, in a way, they’ve kind of become just that.
So many events that were once considered exceptional are now simply…a fact of daily life. But if you look closer at the broader picture, some structural changes may start to become apparent. Some could be arguably viewed as positive. Others, perhaps not so much. The onslaught of change felt here and abroad, however, has brought about noticeable shifts in the industry’s international student landscape.
“International student enrollment in the U.S. experienced notable fluctuations over the past decade due to shifting federal policies, global economic conditions and pandemic-related travel restrictions,” says Chelsea Bennett, vice president of advisory services for The Scion Group.
Scion notes international student enrollment grew by 8 percent during the 2023 to 2024 academic year, but that growth wasn’t necessarily distributed equally. The company expects to see a continued growth of international students, particularly within those communities that serve leading public research universities — also known as land-grant R1 institutions.
Julie Skolnicki, senior managing director of university partnerships at Greystar, says she has witnessed the largest growth of international student occupancy at institutions with strong STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) programs. She cites that nearly half of all international students study in California, New York, Texas, Massachusetts and Florida.
Yet, something else might be afoot. John Barr, director of leasing and innovation at The Dinerstein Cos., notes that his West Coast properties have experienced a decline in international student residents over the past five years.
“So far, the pre-leasing for fall 2025 indicates this trend continuing, with minimal international leasing activity in these West Coast markets,” he says.
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