Students and Parents
What is Investor in Students?
Investor in Students (IIS) is an independent standard used by student accommodation providers to understand and improve the experience of students living in their accommodation.
We don’t provide accommodation ourselves, and we don’t rank or promote individual providers. Instead, we gather insight directly from students and use that evidence to help accommodation providers improve the experience they offer.
What does Investor in Students do?
Investor in Students listens to students about their experience of living in accommodation, including things like support, community, wellbeing, safety and how they feel day to day.
This insight is gathered through confidential surveys and is used to help accommodation providers understand what is working well, and where improvements are needed.
Our role is to ensure student voice is heard and taken seriously.
What does IIS accreditation mean?
If an accommodation provider is Investor in Students accredited, it means they have:
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Taken part in an independent assessment based on student feedback
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Used evidence from students to understand their residential experience
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Met defined standards relating to student living and support
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Committed to acting on insight and improving over time
Accreditation is awarded annually and reflects how students have experienced life in accommodation during the year.
What IIS accreditation does not mean
It’s important to be clear about what accreditation does and doesn’t represent. IIS accreditation does not mean that:
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every student will have the same experience
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issues never arise
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accommodation is “perfect”
Instead, it shows that a provider is listening to students, taking experience seriously and using evidence to improve.
WHY DOES IT MATTER?
Why this matters for students and parents
Choosing where to live is an important decision. Seeing that an accommodation provider is Investor in Students accredited can give reassurance that:
- student voice is actively listened to
- experience is measured independently, not just internally
- wellbeing, safety and community are taken seriously
- there is a commitment to improvement, not just compliance
For parents and guardians, accreditation provides an additional layer of confidence that experience is being reviewed thoughtfully and responsibly.
Working with Investors in Students has provided us with invaluable insight into our student experience. Their surveys have helped us better understand the needs, expectations, and priorities of our students, enabling us to make more informed decisions and drive meaningful improvements"
Ashley Jones
National Head of Operations
Investor in Students has been a brilliant partner in helping us better understand and enhance the student experience in our accommodation. The team are knowledgeable, supportive, and a pleasure to work with, and the volume and quality of feedback and analysis they provide is outstanding."
Joe Lay
Director of Accommodation
it’s the ongoing support that really sets IIS apart. Every step of the journey feels collaborative, thoughtful and focused on outcomes — and the speed at which the team turns around insights makes it so much easier to act quickly and with confidence.”
Laura Palmour
Associate Director of Residences
The benchmarking helped us recognise where we were leading, and where to focus next. What makes IIS so valuable is the hands-on, high-touch support — from personalised insight reports to collaborative action planning, the team are truly invested in helping us raise the bar every year.”
Einita Suman
Director of Accommodation and Operations
Investor in Students has become an important part of how we assure and improve the student experience across our residences. Benchmarking adds an extra layer of assurance, showing how our students’ experience compares across the sector and helping us prioritise investment and resource with clarity.”
Viki Welch
Associate Director of Student Living
For us, IIS provides an independent, credible way to evidence the value we deliver for our stakeholders. The insight goes far beyond satisfaction scores — it gives us a clear, data-led view of how students experience our service, where we’re adding the most value, and where targeted improvements will have the greatest impact"
David Chadderton
CMO
As we’ve evolved our business and started building out our next portfolio, IIS has played a key role in shaping how we think about student experience from the outset. The data helps us move beyond assumptions and design experiences that genuinely reflect what students value — not just what we think they want."
Laura Kurt
Managing Director
What really stands out about IIS is how accessible and practical the insight is. The dashboards make it easy to explore the data in real time, track performance and quickly understand what’s driving student sentiment across different areas of the business."
Paul Watson
Managing Director
Have a question?
If you’re a student or parent and would like to understand more about Investor in Students, or what accreditation means, you’re welcome to get in touch.