New Network Cum Laude members in Belgium and Turkey: Upgrade Estate and Republika to become partners
- Already five partners in five countries with almost 50,000 apartments under management or in development
- Belgium with around 450,000 students, Turkey with more than 6 million students
- New b2b website for cooperation partners: www.networkcumlaude.com
The international student housing network Network Cum Laude (NCL) has two new partners: the Turkish provider for high-quality student accommodation Republika and the Belgian student housing operator Upgrade Estate. With these new additions, Network Cum Laude already has five members in five countries comprising almost 50,000 student apartments under management or in development. A b2b website for partners (www.networkcumlaude.com) has been launched for this reason. The objectives of cooperation within Network Cum Laude include optimising occupancy rates of the residences and providing better services for students, such as easier access to student accommodation in the cities
of choice.
“With Republika in Turkey and Upgrade Estate in Belgium, Network Cum Laude has attracted two innovative student accommodation operators as new partners. Including Republika and Upgrade Estate, the network is already represented in five exciting countries in the higher education market. Today, the network partners already have almost 50,000 student apartments under management or in development,” says Horst Lieder, Board Member of Network Cum Laude and CEO of International Campus AG. “Not only do the operators of student accommodation benefit from being part of Network Cum Laude, for example by cooperating to optimise occupancy rates through a cross-border exchange of knowledge. The residents themselves benefit too through easier access to student apartments in vibrant cities and university towns.”
Dogan Kasikci, CEO of Republika Academic Aparts: „We wanted to be member of Network Cum Laude to provide a better service to our students and to share experience and know-how with sector leader in other countries. We at Republika are confident that both our students and our organizations will benefit.” Through its cultural background and location between Europe, Asia and Middle East, Turkey is an international hub for students. Kasikci explains: “The number of international students studying in Turkey is increasing. Thus Republika has developed Turkey’s first high-quality, lifestyle focused institutional student accommodation platform. We aim for significant growth and expansion across the country.”
Koenraad Belsack, CEO and founder of Ghent-based Upgrade Estate: “Upgrade Estate, Belgiums leading student housing operator with his brand Upkot, not only offers original and high- quality student accommodation but wants to add value for his students as well. For that reason we are delighted to join the Network Cum Laude. It will give us the opportunity to share and invest in knowledge on an European scale”. Today Upgrade Estate manages twelve student residences in Brussels, Ghent, Antwerp, Brugge, Kortrijk and Mons and is developing eight new projects. There are a total of eleven universities and numerous university colleges with around 450,000 students in Belgium.
Republika operates three student residences in the popular Beşiktaş district of Istanbul and plans additional locations throughout Turkey. Istanbul is the country’s economic and cultural hub and is home to some of Turkey’s most important universities, with several hundred thousand students.
Around 6 million students study at Turkey’s 174 universities.
