Student Living France 2026

Following a series of strategic and successful steps in France, we collaborated with research partners Savills and JLL, alongside PBSA investors, operators and legal advisors, to develop the country’s first National Action Framework for student housing. Contributions from UXCO, Greystar, The Boost Society (KLEY), AXA, EQT, Hines, Gide, Campus France and Study Portals all helped shape a shared evidence base and a practical foundation for a national dialogue to solve the 640,000 unmet demand by 2030.

Join us to build on these advances at our Student Living Forum in Paris. This one-day programme includes site tours from the likes of KLEY, workshop sessions, and thought leadership panel conversations, and is set to connect a wide array of key players on housing within higher education -from investors to operators, from universities to policy makers- to shape a common agenda.

France stands at the centre of a shifting European higher education landscape. With over 3 million students, including 420,000 international students (up 17% in five years), France now hosts the largest student population in Europe. It ranks 4th in Europe for English-Taught Programmes, and its academic prestige is growing; 55% more universities now rank in the QS Top 600 compared to 2021.

Yet despite world-class institutions, France’s student accommodation infrastructure is lagging. Just 15% of students live in designated student communities, while 28% live alone in private rentals, more than double the European average. The strain is particularly acute in Île-de-France, Lyon, Toulouse, and the PACA region (Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, including cities like Marseille and Nice) where availability, affordability, and accessibility converge as pressing challenges.

France has 200,000 PBSA beds and is set to grow by 30,000 over the next 3 years. However, this expansion will not close the gap. France faces an unmet demand of 640,000 student beds by 2030, one of the highest shortfalls in Europe.

Savills’ 2024 PBSA Investment Barometer shows that even if all private operators across Europe expanded by 70%, the provision rate would only rise from 11% to 17%, highlighting the systemic nature of undersupply. However, France is underperforming in private investment penetration. While international players like Greystar and Blackstone are active, the market remains dominated by domestic capital (78%), and regulatory ambiguity around affordability threatens future inflows.

Yet, the opportunity is clear. Capital availability is improving, especially for stabilised assets, and according to TCF x Savills European PBSA Investment Barometer 2024 report, France is among the top 5 most targeted European PBSA destinations.

Against this backdrop, the support for the National Action Framework (NAF) is crucial for PBSA. The NAF aims to align France’s growing educational ambitions with sustainable, high-quality student housing through four strategic pillars:

• Availability – expanding the supply of student housing

• Accessibility – improving affordability and inclusion

• Student Experience – enhancing wellbeing, services, and academic success

• Collaboration – strengthening coordination between public and private stakeholders

These four pillars will also inform the forum’s programme which includes thought-provoking discussions, interactive sessions, data insights and the sharing of best practices, on topics such as investment, legal and fiscal frameworks, higher education trends, social impact and challenges and solutions for the sector.

Be a part of this must-attend forum for PBSA stakeholders shaping the future of student living in France.

For sponsorship enquiries, please reach out to Carolina via [email protected].

Purchased tickets are strictly non-refundable. Refunds will only be offered to ticket holders in the event of a cancellation, postponement, or significant change to the programme agenda (e.g. change of theme or location). In the event of a refund being issued, Eventbrite processing fees will not be refunded.

In case of unforeseen circumstances, a ticket may be transferred to another individual within the ticket holder's organisation. The value of the unused ticket can also be applied to another one of The Class Foundation's events taking place in 2024.

The Class Foundation is a non-profit organisation founded in 2011 with the aim of helping the student living sector to attract and retain the brightest young minds. In promoting this mission, we hope to pave the way to social and economic success for university cities across Europe.

Together with our industry-leading community, we set out to rethink the places where students live, work, and learn. We are focussed on uniting both public and private stakeholders, such as HE institutes, PBSA providers, city and council leaders, and external suppliers to make student accommodation more affordable, accessible, and available in Europe.

Info: Registration will take place at Greystar Canvas La Defense

Info: Experience first-hand how urban regeneration and design-forward PBSA assets are being delivered in the Paris region with a site tour of Greystar's Canvas La Défense and a rooftop lunch.

Info: The Forum begins with a joint welcome from Kelly-Anne Watson, Managing Director of The Class Foundation and Laurent Chaillou and Nicolas Huille, where they will set the scene by sharing a vision for student living and learning for France.

Info: This session offers a comprehensive snapshot of France’s student housing landscape. Combining data on provision, demand, mobility, internationalisation trends, student expectations, and investor sentiment.

Info: France has the fundamentals to lead Europe in student living, but without coordination, the system risks falling short. This workshop is designed to bring together the full spectrum of student housing stakeholders to co-create a national action framework for France, a policy and investment roadmap that moves the sector from fragmented initiatives to coordinated impact. The moderators for this session are : Pavlina Chandras - Head of Operations, Europe Living | EQT,

Guillame Deri - Operations Manager | Greystar

Thomas Seguy - Chief Operating Officer | The Boost Society,

Pierre Seguin - Head of Investments and Asset Management | UXCO Group, and

Arthur Rosaz - Head of Investment | The Boost Society François Sotom - Sales Manager | Wifirst

Info: A summary of the Forum’s key takeaways, emerging commitments, and next steps in exploring a National Action Framework for France. With: Kelly-Anne Watson, Marcus Roberts, Thomas Seguy, Pavlina Chandras, and Pierre Seguin

Info: Join peers across sectors for informal networking session, drinks, and exploration of UXCO’s PBSA site, one of the region’s most innovative approaches to student living. Location: Ecla Paris Massy-Palaiseau
Address: 16 Av. Emile Baudot, 91120 Palaiseau, France

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Canvas La Défense, 60 Avenue du Général de Gaulle, Puteaux, France

Concerts, fests, parties, meetups - all the happenings, one place.

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