New NCL members

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.