The second quarter of 2015 saw £1.6bn transacted, a 126% increase on the same period last year, with headline deals including the Westbourne, Nido and AUB portfolios and the single asset sale of Assam Place in London.

Philip Hillman, chairman of the alternatives group at JLL, said: “We have seen significant investment in UK student housing so far this year, with particularly strong interest from Russian, Canadian and US investors. This is a trend we expect to continue as we push into the second half of the year.

“As the alternatives sector becomes increasingly mainstream, the liquidity in the market and increasing variety of investors with diverse underwriting approaches to the sector dynamics continues to drive investment.”

The growth in investment volumes comes as UCAS has witnessed a steady increase in university applicants, with a 2% rise compared to May 2014.