Accommodation Initiatives: Helping students find quality accommodation is key to great student experience  

Our international students tell us that finding accommodation is one of the most important factors affecting their overall wellbeing and experience on their study abroad journey. Our research also shows that when students receive quality support on a range of matters, including housing, they have better student experiences. However, making sure that accommodation choices are safe, secure and meeting students’ needs is critical, so IDP partners with global PBSA (purpose-built student accommodation) providers and aggregators to deliver accommodation options students can trust and rely on. 

This article explains how and why IDP helps students to find the services best suited for their study abroad journey, with a special focus on accommodation. 

• 33% of students have less than satisfactory experiences when trying to find accommodation*.  

• To improve this, IDP student accommodation partners now include Casita, U-homes and Amber, offering trusted, safe, global housing options for students. 

• IDP has access to more than 2 million beds, provided by a total of 18 housing partners. 

• More than 5,000 students have found accommodation in their chosen study destination, assisted by IDP.  

*   IDP Emerging Futures 5 survey (March 2024) 

Students value counsellor support that addresses their needs throughout their international education journey, from shortlisting institutions to support with accommodation in their study destination. Our Customer Insights research results from January 2025 shows us that IDP’s end-to-end counsellor support is the second most valued IDP offering among students (most valued offering is ‘quality counsellors’). This positioning is significantly higher than when we asked about the top value offerings of our key competitors, where ‘counselling’ came in fifth place. 

“I valued the services of completely handling my admission process and at same time offering me some other required essential services like helping to find accommodation, visa process and etc.”  

 In our Emerging Futures 5 survey (March 2024), when we asked Prospective and Applied students why their second-choice destination was not their first preference, out of 19 available choices, ‘cost of accommodation is not as affordable’ was rated seventh overall.  

Of the largest cohorts that responded to this question (India, China, Nigeria, the Philippines, and Ghana), students from Nigeria and Ghana rated ‘cost of accommodation is not as affordable’ in fifth position, while students from India rated it in sixth position and students from the Philippines rated it in seventh position.  

Prospective and Applied students from Ghana and Philippines also chose ‘less available accommodation as a top ten reason why their second-choice destination was not their first choice (rating this factor in ninth and tenth spots respectively). 

In Emerging Futures 5, when we asked Current students to rate how the ability to find accommodation had met their expectations, in total, 33% of the respondents said it had not met their expectations, 45% said it had met their expectations, and 22% said the ability to find accommodation had exceeded their expectations.  

This shows a third of all international students had a less than satisfactory experience of finding accommodation. 

Our Student Essentials service is a key element in IDP’s student-first offering and provides access to the essential products required for successful overseas study. Market research and student feedback ensures we are partnering with quality providers and that the products and processes match our students’ needs.  

“Our student essentials service provides students and parents with a choice of trusted, quality products that are tailored to international students. We understand our customer's needs, so we are diligent in making sure our partners can deliver on IDP’s promise of integrity, expertise and exceptional service at an affordable price.” Lucy Williams – Product Manager, Student Essentials 

IDP counsellors provide guidance on which products are suitable and support students at each step of the purchase decision-making process. Across different destinations and markets our services include education loans, health cover, accommodation, money transfers, banking, guardianship, forex cards, and sim cards.  

IDP’s priority when partnering with accommodation providers is that they are thoroughly vetted. They must be trusted brands with demonstrable financial stability, and they must meet our privacy standards. Above all, their services MUST be suitable for our students’ needs.  

Until recently, most of IDP’s student accommodation partners operated in Australia, but we have recently expanded our offering with three global aggregators: Casita, U-homes and Amber. This means we can ensure quality, safe and secure accommodation for our students in Canada, the UK, and the USA as well. We also provide homestay solutions which are better suited for our under-18 students, enabling a family environment that can better support the transition to life abroad. 

IDP data shows that students are considering more destinations than ever before when choosing where to study and that choices are diversifying away from the ‘big four’ of Australia, Canada, the UK and the US, so we wanted to ensure we had enough inventory and options wherever students choose to go. Housing options are in short supply across the world, so having sufficient availability is critical and by being able to propose options during the counselling process is key to providing great student experience. Also, to assist students when they arrive, many of our accommodation providers organise activities such as cooking classes, social gatherings, seminars etc. to help students meet other students and become more integrated in their new community. 

IDP continually strives to improve our Essential Services offering and over the coming months we plan to expand our capabilities in meeting student accommodation needs. We are currently exploring options for short-stay accommodation, options suitable for families, and for students in outlying regions and rural areas.   

Our increase of global accommodation partnerships mean we now have access to 2 million beds, provided by a total of 18 housing partners, with more expansion planned. To date, IDP has assisted 5,000+ students to find accommodation in their chosen study destination and we continue to ensure this is a trusted service through our stringent screening and evaluation activities that mean we only partner with providers who match our student-first values. 

Other examples of how IDP supports our international students include: 

Communities 

IDP and The Ambassador Platform have joined forces to provide student communities that assist prospective students who are researching their options so they can connect with real students who are already studying abroad to get a true insight into what life is like in a new country. IDP Communities are real students sharing real experiences, making genuine connections. 

Pre-Departure Orientation 

IDP offices run events for students in their home country before they travel to their chosen study destination. These sessions provide practical preparation tips to help make students aware of what to expect when living overseas and provide a full understanding of the services and support available before they leave and after they arrive.

Our student surveys and customer experience evaluation, alongside data analysis and market research, means the services we provide for students really help them to feel safe and supported throughout their studies, wherever they are travelling from and wherever they are going to.  

 "Over the past five years, we have listened to more than 200,000 students to understand their feedback and experiences. We know offering various accommodation options, which are safe, secure and balance our students’ academic needs with student experience, is critical for their success."  Peta Wilkinson, Director of Customer Experience and Insights