Stronger-than-expected institutional investor demand, combined with liquidity from billions in loan maturities, drove an unexpected 43 percent year-over-year surge in 2024 student housing transaction volume. This influx of capital led to compensation increases that surpassed both participant expectations and SCI's forecasts. Notably, the spike in deal activ-ity triggered significant bonus payouts for executives with compensation structures tied to capital events, particularly C-suite and development firm leaders.
Although overall compensation increased across surveyed positions,the lower end of base salary ranges declined for many roles, reflecting heightened entry-level hiring and the replacement of retiring employees with less experienced staff earning significantly lower salaries.
