What Do Students Want?

We’re back with the second edition of What Do Students Want? And this year, we’re offering a fresh new perspective. From building awareness to converting leads, our 50+ page audience insight report dives into how you can optimise the booking journey to keep your students coming back for more.

The 2025 report focuses on the PBSA booking journey across the marketing funnel: 

1. Awareness
2. Consideration
3. Conversion
4. Loyalty

How we did it:

We surveyed 1,000 students across the UK and conducted face-to-face interviews with participants of our Student Spark Programme. The 17-21-year-old participants are all students who are either currently living in student accommodation or are applying to university for September 2025.

Why This Report Matters

For PBSA marketers and operators, this 54-page report unlocks essential insights to help you thrive in a highly competitive student accommodation market. 

These insights will help you to:

• Understand the digital journey students take when researching PBSA.
• Uncover the information and tools that convert interest into bookings.
• Understand what drives loyalty and why your residents leave.

Key takeaways:

1. Awareness

• Students begin researching accommodation up to a year in advance, so highlight amenities early and maintain year-round visibility.
• Real-life reviews and university-specific online communities are a big influence and can help build digital trust.

2. Consideration

• This generation of students is digital-savvy, so prioritising fast, convenient information will improve quality leads.
• Students respect transparency, so provide meaningful information that will help students have confidence in your PBSA.
• Engage both students and parents with content on international communities, social events, and authentic ESG values.

3. Conversion

• A lack of affordable student housing has led to students delaying booking their accommodation.
• Students tend to engage more with WhatsApp, online chats and in-app notifications, so utilise these channels for booking interactions.

4. Loyalty

• Start re-engagement early, focusing on building long-term relationships rather than immediate bookings.
• Showcase authentic marketing content that aligns with students’ expectations, emphasising experiences and amenities to justify price points.

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Want to know what students really want? Download the full report for more information on how to improve your booking journey.