CHARLOTTE, N.C. — As the clock struck midnight on New Year’s Eve, the 2025-2026 academic year moved further into focus. What can the industry expect to see this year from a preleasing perspective? Are rents expected to keep growing? And by how much? All of these questions and more were discussed during a kick-off panel at the 2024 LeaseCon/TurnCon conference by InterFace Conference Group, which took place this past December in Charlotte. As of Dec. 3, student housing properties across the country were 36.6 percent preleased on average — a 1.3 percent decline from rates seen at the same time in 2023, according to moderator Charlie Matthews, founder and CEO of data provider College House. Editor’s note: InterFace Conference Group, a division of France Media Inc., produces networking and educational conferences for commercial real estate executives. To sign up for email announcements about specific events, visit www.interfaceconferencegroup.com/subscribe. Of markets across the United States, the Southeast led the way with the highest preleasing percentage at 43.5 percent. Asking rents have congruently grown by 4.9 percent across the country as of early December, according to Matthews, with average rents at $990. Leading the way in rent growth for the 2025-2026 academic year …
Student Housing
JLL Negotiates Sale of 656-Bed Student Housing Community Near Kennesaw State University
by John Nelson
KENNESAW, GA. — JLL has negotiated the sale of Bixby Kennesaw, a 656-bed student housing community located near the Kennesaw State University campus in metro Atlanta. Completed in 2020, the property offers 179 units in a mix of studio through five-bedroom configurations. Shared amenities include a rooftop sky deck overlooking the university’s football stadium, resort-style swimming pool, fitness center and multiple study spaces. Teddy Leatherman, Scott Clifton, Kevin Kazlow and Jack Goldberger of JLL represented the seller, Alden Street Capital, in the disposition. The buyer and terms of the transaction were not released.
BWE Secures $47M Refinancing for Student Housing Property Near University of Tennessee
by John Nelson
KNOXVILLE, TENN. — BWE has secured a $47 million loan for the refinancing of Lakemoor Station, a 240-unit student housing community located near the University of Tennessee campus in Knoxville. Jim Collins of BWE worked on behalf of the borrower, Dominion Group, to secure the 10-year, fixed-term financing through Nationwide Insurance. The loan features a 30-year amortization schedule. The University of Tennessee has master leased the property for five years with a three-year renewal option. The garden-style community offers fully furnished units alongside shared amenities including an outdoor pool, lounge area, fitness center and clubhouse.
URBANA, ILL. — JLL Capital Markets has arranged the sale and financing of Campus Circle, a 524-bed student housing community in Urbana near the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Scott Clifton, Kevin Kazlow and Jack Goldberger of JLL represented the seller, an affiliate of Blue Vista Capital Management LLC. Jake Wisness, Dan Kearns, Mike Brady, Sam Tarter and Bill Maloney of JLL originated a five-year, fixed-rate acquisition loan through Freddie Mac on behalf of the buyer, Horizon Realty Advisors. Campus Circle, located at 1010 W. University Ave., is within walking distance of the College of Engineering and the university’s Main Quad.
Joint Venture Buys Development Site for 397-Bed Student Housing Community Near Colorado State University
by Amy Works
FORT COLLINS, COLO. — A joint venture between Landmark Properties, Silverpeak Real Estate Partners and Peninsula Investments has acquired a development site at 255 Johnson Drive in Fort Collins for the construction of a 397-bed student housing community. Dubbed The Mark Fort Collins, the property will offer 193 units in a mix of studio through four-bedroom configurations for students attending Colorado State University. The six-story development will offer shared amenities including a clubhouse, fitness center, resort-style swimming pool, ski storage, pet spa, individual and group study areas, and rooftop courtyards with grilling stations. Construction on the project is set to begin this month with completion slated for fall 2026. The development team includes Mode 3 Architecture and the company’s in-house construction arm, Landmark Construction. TSB Capital Advisors coordinated financing for the project.
Palladius Capital Management Acquires Multifamily, Student Housing Portfolio for $579M
by John Nelson
AUSTIN, TEXAS — Palladius Capital Management, an Austin-based investment management firm, has purchased a portfolio of nine multifamily and student housing communities. Palladius acquired the portfolio, which comprises five multifamily communities and four student housing properties, for $579 million. The names and locations of the nine properties were not released, but the communities total more than 2,500 apartments and student housing units and are located in high-growth markets and near universities with high application/enrollment growth. The seller was also not disclosed. Palladius acquired the portfolio on behalf of a recently closed, Palladius-sponsored private investment fund that raised approximately $112 million in equity, primarily via private wealth sources. “The successful deployment of this fund speaks to our team’s ability to invest throughout various macroeconomic environments,” says Marko Velazquez, senior managing director of Palladius. Palladius, through its affiliates, manages and operates approximately $950 million of real estate properties across the country. The firm was launched in July 2021 and primarily acquires value-add and core multifamily, student housing and hospitality properties. The company also originates debt investments and acquires whole loans through its privately held REIT, Palladius Income Fund. — John Nelson
ANN ARBOR, MICH. — Landmark Properties has acquired the site of Galleria Mall in Ann Arbor with plans to build a 950-bed student housing community with its in-house construction arm, Landmark Construction. Named The Metropolitan on South U, the 241-unit development will be situated in the South University neighborhood a few blocks away from the Ross School of Business. Rising 18 stories, The Metropolitan will feature approximately 5,200 square feet of ground-floor retail space as well as community amenities, including a clubhouse, fitness center, pool and rooftop lounge. A timeline for construction was not provided. The community marks Landmark’s third ground-up residential development in Ann Arbor and seventh project in the market managed by the company.
Landmark Properties, Stockbridge Recapitalize Student Housing Community Near University of Central Florida
by John Nelson
ORLANDO, FLA. — Landmark Properties has partnered with Stockbridge to recapitalize The Retreat East, a 602-bed student housing development located near the University of Central Florida campus in Orlando. Landmark delivered the cottage-style property in 2021 at 1705 France Drive. The community offers four-, five- and six-bedroom, fully furnished units with bed-to-bath parity. Shared amenities include a two-story fitness center, 24-hour computer lab, group and private study lounges, a resort-style swimming pool and hot tub, grilling area, hammock and cabana grove, an outdoor gaming lawn and a clubhouse. This marks Landmark Properties’ second transaction with Stockbridge following the acquisition of The Retreat Tampa in late November.
Subtext, Kayne Anderson to Break Ground on 1,332-Bed Student Housing Community Near University of Virginia
by John Nelson
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA. — A joint venture between Subtext and Kayne Anderson Real Estate is set to break ground on VERVE Charlottesville, a 1,332-bed development located at 100 Stadium Road near the University of Virginia campus in Charlottesville. Spanning 729,262 square feet, the community will offer 463 units in studio through four-bedroom configurations. Shared amenities will include a fireside lobby lounge, café, dedicated library, open and private study areas, a two-story fitness center, club room, maker space, multi-game simulator, pool terrace, dog spa and park and an outdoor fitness lawn. The developer will also contribute $6.8 million to the Charlottesville Affordable Housing Fund as part of project agreements. Groundbreaking is scheduled for this month with completion slated for summer 2027. The development and financing team for the project includes Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp., John Moriarty & Associates, ESG Architecture & Design, Wolf Ackerman Design, AJC Design Group, SK&A, Timmons Group and Williams Mullen as local counsel.
PHOENIX — Colliers has secured a $520 million refinancing for Grand Canyon University’s (GCU) real estate portfolio in Phoenix. Placed through the Industrial Development Authority of the County of Maricopa Education Bonds (Grand Canyon University Project Taxable Series 2024), the loan includes the refinancing of two bridge loans placed by Colliers in October. The loan, which also pays off the university’s credit line, is a 3a2 bond financing and was issued as a partial refinancing of bonds issued by the university in 2021. Robert Kline, Todd Noel and Mindy Korth of Colliers Mortgage Advisory in Phoenix arranged the refinancing. John Stevenson and Mark Somers of Goldman Sachs’ higher education group and the law firms of Ballard Spahr and Nixon Peabody were also involved in the transaction. “The scope of this refinancing is pretty significant in the higher education bond market and speaks to GCU’s outstanding financial performance and strong student outcomes in the six years since reverting to our historical tax-exempt Arizona nonprofit status,” says GCU President Brian Mueller.