Students moving to Germany from abroad rarely have the time or resources to set up an entire household before the start of the semester. This is precisely where the International Campus Group (IC), one of the leading investors, developers, owners and operators in the field of student housing and urban living concepts, comes in. The company is expanding its THE FIZZ offering with a new living category, THE FIZZ Plus: apartments equipped with everything from cooking utensils to bed linen, providing everything students need to start university life immediately. Following a successful pilot project in Berlin and positive experiences in Vienna, the concept is now being rolled out across nine locations. THE FIZZ Plus apartments will initially be available in Aachen, Berlin, Bremen, Darmstadt, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Hanover, Prague and Vienna, with further locations set to follow by the 2027/28 academic year.
The move reflects a clear market trend: according to the latest JLL study, “German PBSA Market Perspectives 2026,” around 469,500 international students were enrolled in Germany in the 2025/26 winter semester – an increase of 46 percent compared with 2014. They now account for around 30 percent of all first-year students. What is lacking is a housing market tailored to their needs: immediately available, fully furnished accommodation with predictable all-inclusive rental costs. To date, this type of offering has developed only slowly. THE FIZZ is now specifically addressing this gap with THE FIZZ Plus.
THE FIZZ Plus goes beyond conventional furnished apartments by adding amenities designed to make everyday life easier from day one. These include kitchen utensils, a microwave, coffee machine, bed linen, Bluetooth speaker, as well as a projector or TV; the exact range of amenities varies by location. The apartments can be booked as a separate category. Depending on the location and apartment type, the additional charge is moderate and forms part of the all-inclusive rent.
“Approximately 80 percent of our tenants are international students – including exchange and Erasmus students as well as students enrolled in dual-study programmes. They all have one thing in common: they want to be able to move in immediately upon arrival without first having to purchase household items. With THE FIZZ Plus, we are addressing precisely this need,” says Gawain Smart, CEO of the International Campus Group.
The pilot project at THE FIZZ Berlin Kreuzberg achieved full occupancy of the THE FIZZ Plus apartments in its very first letting cycle, demonstrating the significant level of actual demand. The category has also been very well received at the locations where it has recently been introduced. For the properties, it generates additional revenue from the existing portfolio with a manageable level of investment per apartment.There is also a sustainability aspect: as many international students stay in one location for only one or two semesters, furniture and household items are often purchased new and disposed of again shortly afterwards. By contrast, the furnishings provided in THE FIZZ Plus apartments remain in the apartment and are inspected, cleaned and replaced as necessary between tenancies. Over their useful life, they therefore replace purchases that would otherwise be made by several successive tenants.
“The response to the pilot project confirms that there is a clear market for high-quality, fully equipped, all-inclusive apartments for students. With THE FIZZ Plus, we are strategically expanding our brand with a segment that meets this demand and positioning ourselves as the first choice for international students who do not want to compromise on their move-in experience,” says Christina Gentsch, Head of Sales of Marketing, Germany.