University Living scales up as a global student mobility platform

Founded in 2015 in Noida, University Living began with a clear objective: to solve the persistent challenge of finding verified, safe, and transparent student accommodation abroad. The idea was rooted in the founders’ own struggles to secure reliable housing while studying overseas. What started as a simple listings platform addressing a core pain point has steadily evolved into a structured, technology-enabled marketplace.

Today, University Living is building a broader global student mobility platform, focused primarily on post-admission pain points. Beyond housing, the platform now supports rental services, post-admission financing, payments, forex remittance, air tickets, airport transfers, and other value-added services, positioning itself as a one-stop shop for students after admission.

At inception, the company started with a lean founding team of just three members. The compact structure was intentional, ensuring agility, focused execution, and efficient resource utilisation. Initial seed capital was raised through angel investors and early-stage funding platforms, supporting product development, onboarding of global property partners, and the creation of operational capabilities.

Today, the company has grown to over 300 employees globally. Its workforce spans product development, technology, data science, global supply partnerships, sales, marketing, operations, finance, and student success teams.

Talking to Bizz Buzz, Saurabh Arora, Founder and CEO of University Living, said, “We are always open to great talent. If someone aligns with our mission to simplify global student mobility and genuinely wants to create impact, there is always room for them here.”

The company currently generates multi-million-dollar annual revenues, with a Net Revenue Run Rate (NRR) of approximately USD 15–20 million. In addition, the platform manages a Gross Booking Value (GBV) of around USD 400 million, underscoring the scale of transactions facilitated globally.

Revenue growth is being driven by strong booking volumes across key study destinations such as the UK, USA, Canada, Australia, and Europe, supported by repeat demand and long-standing partner relationships.

University Living’s long-term vision extends well beyond accommodation. The company aims to build an infrastructure layer for global student mobility, anchored firmly around post-admission needs. While housing remains the core offering, the broader focus is on creating a stable, secure, and structured ecosystem that reduces uncertainty and anxiety for both students and parents.

By integrating housing with services such as post-admission financing, payments, forex remittance, rental support, airport transfers, and travel assistance, the platform seeks to bring predictability to an otherwise fragmented journey. The goal is not just to help students go abroad, but to help them transition smoothly, stay safe, and focus on academics and long-term outcomes. The company’s core success mantra has been simple: solve a real problem, stay student-first, and execute relentlessly.

University Living has been profitable since day one. As the business has scaled, margins have continued to improve. EBITDA has strengthened from high single digits (around 5–7%) to nearly double digits, reflecting operational efficiency, disciplined cost structures, and stronger monetisation.

Looking ahead, expansion plans include entering new global student corridors, increasing property partnerships, strengthening local teams in high-growth regions, and investing further in product automation. Headcount expansion will be market-aligned and function-specific, particularly across technology, supply acquisition, and student operations.

While the company has not yet gone public, it is actively building towards that milestone and is eyeing a public market listing within the next two to three years.