The early bird gets the worm or the bed in the case of student housing. At the core 175 universities tracked by RealPage Market Analytics, 85.7% of beds—how units are measured in the purpose-built student housing category—have been leased already for the fall 2023 school year. 

That's a bit below the June 2022 record of 86. %, but higher than the pre-COVID-19 June reading of 75%. The purpose-built student housing (PBSH) category includes buildings that are off but near campuses and typically lived in by students after their freshman year.

Since there's still time before students descend on campuses nationwide–usually next month in August, numbers may climb higher, even to a healthy 90%, the report said. In 2022, the final pre-lease rate hit 95.7%, the highest reading on record.