Colliers Report: South Carolina Student Housing 2025

Commercial Real Estate Research & Forecast Report
2025 South Carolina Student Housing

Construction pipeline grows behind rising enrollment, large-scale projects

Market Highlights

After a modest slowdown, universities across the state saw enrollment back on the rise, driving developers to break ground on major student housing projects. Core Spaces headlined new starts in both the Clemson market, breaking ground on the 1,300-bed Hub at Clemson, and in Columbia with oLiv Columbia, a 23-story student project joined by a 27-story market-rate tower in a prime downtown location. Vacancy and asking rents largely held steady statewide as deliveries have mostly tracked with enrollment growth at the state’s major universities.

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Key Takeaways

• Enrollment growth accelerated at the state’s major universities after a post-Covid lull
• Absorption remains modest as older properties face stiff competition from newer, better-located developments
• Major projects in Clemson and Columbia drove the construction pipeline to a ten-year high

Forecast

Occupancy grew slightly to 92.33% as enrollment accelerated, while new deliveries largely supported rent equilibrium as asking rents grew just over 1% to $904 per bed. New projects in Clemson and Columbia contributed to a construction pipeline high of 5,962 beds under construction, which will likely stabilize asking rents despite record enrollments.

About Colliers

Colliers | South Carolina is the largest full-service commercial real estate firm in South Carolina with 66 licensed real estate professionals covering the state with locations in Charleston, Columbia, Greenville and Spartanburg. Colliers is an Accredited Management Organization (AMO) through the Institute of Real Estate Management (IREM) and is the largest manager of commercial real estate properties in South Carolina with a portfolio of over 26 million square feet of office, industrial, retail and healthcare properties. Colliers’ staff hold the most professional designations of any firm in South Carolina. Colliers | South Carolina’s partner, LCK, provides project management services for new facilities and renovations across South Carolina.

Colliers is a global diversified professional services and investment management company. Operating through three industry-leading platforms – Real Estate Services, Engineering and Investment Management – we have a proven business model, an enterprising culture and a unique partnership philosophy that drives growth and value creation. With over $5.0 billion in annual revenues, a team of 24,000 professionals, and more than $100 billion in assets under management, Colliers remains committed to accelerating the success of our clients, investors and people worldwide. Learn more at corporate.colliers.com, X @Colliers or LinkedIn