With the Government announcing a potential doubling of tuition fees as of autumn 2012, universities across the UK are seeing surge in the number of applicants for 2011 degree places.

 

The number of applications for 2011 degree courses has risen by over 4%, in real terms an extra 3,000 students, which will no doubt place increased pressure not only on course sizes but also student accommodation.

 

De Montfort University in Leicester is one centre for Higher Education which has seen a marked increase in the number of applications over the last couple of years yet reports an 800 room shortage of accommodation for their budding undergraduates.

 

Steven Worboys, MD of property investment experts Experience International, comments,

 

“More and more young people are attending university today; nearly 500,000 have been accepted into Higher Education in 2010 according to UCAS. For many, attending university will mean living away from home, often for the first time, and it is essential that appropriate student accommodation is available however in many instances the number of rooms just doesn’t meet the demand.”

 

Leicester, the 10^th largest city in the UK, is home to two well-established universities namely The University of Leicester and De Montfort University which house over 38,000 students combined. Both of these universities are popular with students seeking further education from across the country and maintain a healthy intake of students from outside the UK generating massive demand for accommodation.

 

In response to this growing demand a number of new residential developments are being constructed aimed specifically at the student sector. One such project is Fiveways House, ideally located just over half a mile west of the city centre, one mile north of the De Montfort University City Campus and one and a half miles from the University of Leicester.

 

These refurbished apartments will be of the highest specification with studio, en-suite and twin studio apartments available as well as a gym, swimming pool and leisure facilities on site. Fully managed by the UK’s top student rental company, Fiveways House is proving extremely popular with investors as the units are priced at 25% below independent RICS valuation, offer 7% per annum fixed income for 5 years and up to 65% non-status finance is available.