Dr James Gregory attended the 4th Annual Affordable Purpose-Built Student Housing Summit on the 24th and 25th of February 2022 in Sandton, Johannesburg. This industry conference brought together a wide range of stakeholders involved in the provision of affordable student housing across southern Africa. Some of the key stakeholders included private property developers and investors, as well as international development finance institutions such as the Development Bank of Southern Africa and the International Finance Corporation (IFC), which is part of the World Bank Group. There are still massive shortages of safe and affordable student housing in South Africa, with a shortfall of 300 000 beds nationally. There is a huge disparity in the supply of student housing – with rural institutions and TVET colleges facing the greatest backlog. Dr Gregory moderated a session on student life, student experiences and welfare. His research interest in student geographies explores the wide-ranging impacts and challenges associated with off-campus student housing. He was joined by two UP SRC members, Enriqué Ashford Francis and Sibulele Zandile Gando, as well as SRC members from several other institutions to discuss challenges related to student housing. It was clear from the discussion that challenges related to access, affordability and safety remain pertinent. Dr Gregory is currently busy assisting the IFC in organising a focus group with students from a variety of institutions across South Africa. The focus group aims to discuss challenges related to student housing and to assist the Department of Higher Education and Training in their policy revision on the minimum norms and standards for student accommodation.