Demand for student housing in India to hit $50bn

Institutional investors pouring into one of India’s hottest asset classes

India’s student body is growing fast, and along with it a need for more student accommodation.

The potential demand for student housing in India is now worth USD50 billion, Knight Frank India is reporting via The Economic Times.

Institutional investors and builders poured about USD100 million into India’s student housing market in 2018 alone, the consultancy estimated.

From eight million, student accommodation in India is projected to reach 13 million beds in the next five years. “The Indian student population base is growing consistently; this growth coupled with push from the government to promote more enrolment for higher education is a perfect recipe for the student accommodation market to flourish,” said Shishir Baijal, chairman and managing director at Knight Frank India.

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“The forecast is promising and is likely to offer investment opportunities in this alternate asset class for domestic and international investors.”

About 18 percent of the Indian populace are aged 15 to 24.

Investors such as Warburg Pincus, Sequoia Capital, and Goldman Sachs have recently explored opportunities in the Indian student housing market. Shearwater Ventures is planning to roll out 5,000 beds under its MiNest brand for students in north India.

“The demand-supply gap along with huge demand for shared accommodation has led to an increasing interest from investors to build and operate high quality alternative accommodation,” said Rajeev Bairathi, managing director, Shearwater Ventures.