Media & PR

Moray Notman, University Partner Commercial Director, reflects on over a decade in the sector: how he worked his way up from operations management; the importance of university partnerships; and what 2023 will bring for him and the wider student accommodation market.

The Unite Students Commission on Living Black at University is delighted to announce that the Living Black at University Conference will be taking place in Newcastle on Tuesday 7th March 2023. This free one-day event is open to universities, accommodation providers, and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) leads in the sector.

Jenny Shaw explores what 2023 brings for Unite Students, including new research and resources to share with the Higher Education sector.

Unite Students, the UK's leading provider of student accommodation, has completed the acquisition of Jubilee House, in Stratford, for £73million.

As the winter university break approaches, so does the inevitable narrative of students ‘returning home for Christmas’ – but what does that mean for those who remain in accommodation over the holiday? We explore some of the reasons why students stay in their accommodation over the festive season, best practice for inclusive operations and communications, and how Unite Students is supporting students over this period.

Jenny Shaw hosts two experts as they share their thoughts on marketing to students, including current data trends, the impact of cost of living, and the use of social media.

Unite Students, the UK’s leading owner, manager and developer of student accommodation, has partnered with Streets of Growth, a leading youth intervention charity.

Unite Students, the UK’s leading owner, manager and developer of student accommodation, won Operator of the Year award at this year’s Property Week’s 2022 Student Accommodation Awards.

We caught up with our three Head of Operations to find out about their journey into the student accommodation sector, how they manage operations across their patch, and their priorities for this academic year.

During our development of Hayloft Point, our flagship property in the heart of the London, a Museum of London Archaeology team discovered the Boar’s Head Playhouse, the most significant find during Unite Students’ 30 years of building properties.

What does the Higher Education sector need to know about student risk-taking behaviours, and how they can support students and reduce harm? Our expert sector panel speaks to Jenny Shaw.

Unite Students has won a major award for its market-leading performance and student support during the last year.

For the first time since 2019, Global Student Living Live returned to the conference circuit, with this year’s event focused on sustainability in purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA). Unite Students were in attendance to hear about everything from smart tech to bug burgers – so here are our key takeaways from the event.

Unite Students has completed the £65million upgrade of three properties in Manchester.

Accommodation Matters is back - and we’re kicking off the new series by looking at the intersection between student accommodation and the hospitality sector.

In conversation with Luke Brooker, Head of Delivery at Unite Students. He spoke to us about his role, mental health, wellbeing initiatives onsite and overcoming practical challenges to deliver these.

On World Mental Health Day, Caleb spoke to us about his role as a Wellbeing Champion at Unite Students and why it is important for the business to offer support to employees.

Student mental health support is a shared challenge across the Higher Education sector, and a holistic, collaborative approach is fundamental to addressing it. Unite Students’ new student support framework, ‘Support to Stay’, aims to join up our student support services with those of our university partners.

Unite Students, the UK's leading owner, manager and developer of student accommodation, has acquired 180 Stratford, a 178-unit purpose-built build-to-rent ('BTR') property in Stratford, East London for £71m.

In conversation with Unite Students' senior project manager, Lawrence Rojas. He spoke to us about his role and latest project - Campbell House – a new 431-bed property in Bristol city centre, situated on the site of a former Georgian Hospital. 

In conversation with Unite Students' project manager Adrian Muir. He spoke to us about his role and latest completed project - our new flagship property, Hayloft Point, Aldgate, London

Victoria Tolmie-Loverseed, Assistant Chief Executive - Standards at student housing charity Unipol, shares her insights on the changing accommodation landscape, what universities and accommodation providers need to know – and do – to make sure students have the best possible experience, and the challenges of overseeing codes and standards across the student accommodation sector.

Unite Students has reached practical completion on Campbell House, its latest development in Bristol. Situated in the heart of the city, on the site of a former Georgian hospital, Unite Students latest development is named after one of the Bristol’s first Black ward sisters, Princess Campbell. The property spans six storeys and will provide beds for 431 students. It covers 109,000 sq ft, with investment totalling £45million.

Unite Students has reached practical completion on its new flagship development in London. Hayloft Point, located in the heart of central London in Aldgate, spans 24-storeys and will provide beds for 920 students. It covers 29,000 sq metres in total and had development costs of £190m.

In her 18 years in the Higher Education sector, Jo Blair has worked her way up to become one of Scotland’s foremost purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) experts. As she moves into a new role as Head of Quality and Standards at Unite Students, we caught up with her about her new role, her experiences working with the Scottish government, and what the future holds for the Scottish PBSA market.

The July meeting of the Unite Students Commission on Living Black at University explored how knowledge and data could be better harnessed to meet the needs of Black students and staff.

Five top tips on how to best prepare for starting at university, including how to deal with the rise in cost of living, go-to recipes for healthy eating and finding out about the city students are about to live in

Our latest episode of Accommodation Matters explores the findings of our recent applicant survey in more detail, including what this means on the ground, what the sector is doing to prepare for their arrival, and some areas of focus for the future.

Unite Students is giving its employees a £500 one-off payment to help with the rising cost of living.

The UK’s postgraduate population exploded during the pandemic – but who are they, and what are some of the policy pressures around this demographic? This blog has been kindly contributed by Dr Diana Beech, Chief Executive Officer of London Higher – the representative body for over 40 universities and higher education colleges in London.

We have seen continued momentum in the first half, as earnings and dividends have grown strongly and reservations for the 2022/23 academic year are now ahead of pre-pandemic levels.

Who are 2022’s applicants, and what do they need at university? With a view to starting to answer to these questions, Unite Students is delighted to share our inaugural Applicant Index report, available for download now.

The latest episode of our In Conversation mini-series stars Dr Alexis Brown, Director of Policy and Advocacy at the Higher Education Policy Institute. She shares her thoughts on what the Higher Education sector's current challenges are, part-time and lifelong learning opportunities, and student wellbeing, as well as her own experiences of studying in the US and the UK.

The Unite Students Commission on Living Black at University launched in April to effect sector-wide change in improving Black students’ accommodation experience. Representing sector bodies, charities and universities who are already running projects to improve the Black student experience, here are the Commissioners making this work happen.

Since inception, the Unite Foundation has supported more than 500 estranged and care leaver students to access Higher Education, and has this year announced an expanded cohort of 100 scholarship students. This is the story of our role in making the Unite Foundation’s amazing work possible.

Unite Students, the UK’s largest operator of student accommodation, has had its equality, diversity and inclusion practices recognised by Manchester Pride.

Who are the UK's postgraduates? What do they want from their accommodation? And what are the challenges they face in accessing it? We delve into the topic of postgraduate accommodation with help from expert sector guests.

On the 50th anniversary of the UK’s first official pride march, we’ve caught up with two of our LGBTQ+ employees to understand what working at Unite Students in 2022 means for them.

In January, Becca Hayhurst joined the organisation as our new Head of Student Support. We caught up with Becca to find out how she’s finding her role, what she’s been up to since joining, and details of our new student support strategy.