The winners and losers in the student accommodation industry

Despite the unwashed dishes and out-of-date food, the student accommodation industry looked positive in 2020, with the top three brands experiencing slight increases in visibility year-on-year. Overall, the market recorded an uplift of 9%.

That said, the gains were not evenly distributed. Some of the best-known sites lost significant ground, with declines reaching 40% for certain brands.

Why it matters: When the market rises and your curve falls, you do not just lose traffic, you lose share. The brands that held their positions built compounding advantage for the next intake cycle.

Who were the largest student accommodation providers in 2020?

Here’s a quick snapshot of the top 10 sites featured in the report:

Which student accommodation sellers saw the biggest growth in 2020?

Which student accommodation sellers saw the biggest losses in 2020?

Keyword opportunities for student accommodation sites

• For high-competition keywords, accommodationforstudents.com performed well, taking page-one positions for some of the most competitive terms in the category.
• “student accommodation” is one of the most competitive head terms, and the accommodationforstudents.com held page-one visibility for multiple relevant pages (including a location landing page).
• “student accommodation in Manchester” also saw strong performance, with accommodationforstudents.com ranking near the top of page one.
• “student accommodation in Edinburgh” delivered multiple page-one results across brands such as unitestudents.com and mystudenthalls.com.

These keywords collectively see 4,000+ monthly searches, making them high-value and worth defending.

Beyond the obvious terms, the report also highlights valuable gaps. Keywords such as “student accommodation plymouth” have solid search volume, yet only one brand was ranking for the term at the time of analysis.

Key insight: Head terms are expensive to win, but local-intent gaps can deliver faster gains. If only one brand ranks for a city term with proven volume, that is a clear opening for structured landing pages and supporting content.

What we noticed about the SERPs

Enhanced copy

Some top results use enhanced on-page copy on category and location pages. This adds semantically rich context and helps Google understand the page beyond a thin list of properties.

As a practical benchmark, adding around 700 words of useful, location-relevant content can strengthen relevance signals and improve ranking stability.

Google Business Profile optimisations

Because many student accommodation searches are local, the map pack often appears. Optimising Google Business Profiles (formerly known as GMB) can help brands win more space at the top of results and stay visible during the decision phase.

Student accommodation and social networks

Maintaining a strong social presence matters when the digital landscape shifts quickly. Students spend a significant amount of time on social platforms, and social content can reinforce trust, recall, and brand demand.

Student.com topped the charts with a social score of 333 and a brand reach score of 22,200. A quick review of its profiles showed a consistent pattern of helpful, non-salesy content and strong creative standards.

Instagram highlights focused on practical information, such as company context, tips, and places to live.

Facebook activity leaned into high-quality videos, partnerships, and blog content that builds authority.

Uniplaces.com had the highest follower count, with 296,082 across multiple platforms and a total social score of 578. Its social strategy strongly supported the “study abroad” angle, pairing aspirational imagery with useful content formats.

Action point: The best-performing social accounts do not just post listings. They publish guidance that helps students choose where to live, what to expect, and how to prepare. That content builds trust, fuels shares, and supports branded search.