Unite Students has reiterated its earnings per share (EPS) guidance of 47.5p to 48.25p for the full financial year.

The student accommodation developer announced that 95.2% of its beds had been now sold for the 2025/26 academic year, with its sales through three quarters delivering 4% rental growth.

Unite is the UK’s largest developer of purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) serving the higher education sector, providing homes to an estimated 68,000 students across 152 properties in 23 university towns and cities.

The company, which was announcing a Q3 trading update for the three months to 30 September, reported that it had outperformed the wider PBSA sector, citing the income from its nomination agreements with long-term university partners as a reason for the performance.

Unite Students CEO, Joe Lister, commented: “We have sold 95% of beds and delivered rental growth of 4.0%. While this is slightly below our target, we saw a strong clearing period which has contributed to our outperformance of the wider PBSA sector.

“Looking ahead, the outlook remains robust, underpinned by growing demand from school leavers and stabilising international admissions.

“Our income is also underpinned by nomination agreements with long-term university partners, which now cover 59% of our beds. Our continued focus on affordability and quality continues to resonate with students and universities. At the same time, our portfolio is increasingly aligned to high-tariff institutions, which continue to attract a growing share of student demand.”

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