Homestay Outshines Traditional Student Accommodation in UWA Experience Survey
Australian Homestay Network
Source: Annual Student Experience Survey (ASES) Results for UWA College Students, 2025
The survey, which garnered a 75% response rate from the UWA College cohort, revealed that overall living satisfaction for students in homestay accommodation was exceptionally high at 95%.
The results strongly reinforce properly-managed homestay as a superior housing option for international students, significantly outperforming traditional Purpose-Built Student Accommodation (PBSA) and Residential Colleges in critical areas of student satisfaction.
Homestay achieved the highest scores across all key satisfaction metrics when benchmarked against other accommodation types:
• Cost of Accommodation: 83% satisfaction (Highest overall)
• Internet Access: 94% satisfaction (Highest overall)
• Quality of Accommodation: 95% satisfaction (Highest overall)
• Access to Suitable Accommodation: 90% satisfaction (Highest overall)
• Support Available: 94% satisfaction (Highest overall)
• Accommodation Office/Officer Support: 94% satisfaction (Highest overall)
UWA College Student Life and Wellbeing Manager, Alisha Maclean, said the findings point to the positive impact of homestay on international students.
“UWA College students in homestay seem really content with their experience of Australia, and I think the support they get not only helps them with their acculturation to Aussie values, but helps with their command of English and their confidence in navigating academic life too.”
AHN Founder, David Bycroft, said the survey results indicate homestay can play a meaningful part in addressing Australia’s growing housing needs.
“At a time when Australia is calling for innovative solutions to the country’s accommodation crisis, this data is a powerful endorsement,” Mr Bycroft said.
“Students are extremely satisfied with the quality of the homes they are living in, the cost, and the support they receive from local host families and university officers.”
Mr Bycroft said feedback like that collected in the UWA College Annual Student Experience Survey proves homestay needs to be more prominently considered by government and industry alongside PBSA and on-campus accommodation.
“Properly-managed hosted accommodation programs – particularly NEAS-endorsed providers like AHN – are not only well-placed to meet the challenge of addressing supply issues, but also enhance the student experience and improve cost-of-living pressures for Australian households.”
UWA College student, Yanqi Zhang, has lived with his AHN homestay host family for over eight months and says his hosts have given him a true sense of home, even though he is far away from his family.
“Before moving into homestay, I lived alone in an apartment and felt very lonely,” Mr Zhang said.
“They (the host family) have supported me academically. When I’ve struggled with study, especially writing essays, they’ve given me practical guidance and useful tips that really helped me improve.
“Living with them has also helped me build local connections and feel part of a community.
“It also made me feel incredibly lucky that, through AHN, I was matched with a homestay family who made Perth feel like home,” he said.
Mr Zhang said homestay “creates a more authentic study abroad experience”, particularly when the placement is organised through a company with strict standards like AHN.
“Compared with renting and living alone, homestay can be safer, more convenient, and more secure, especially when you’re still new to the country.
“From the moment I signed with AHN, their team has been consistently professional, responsive and supportive, which makes homestay a great value and a very reassuring accommodation option,” he said.
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ABOUT AHN
Australian Homestay Network (AHN) is Australia’s largest and most recognised international student homestay provider. We match AHN-certified hosts with visiting international students to provide the highest quality hosted accommodation experience while they study in Australia.
Since 2008, AHN has been raising the standards for homestay and has placed over 100,000 students from 185 countries in welcoming hosted accommodation across Australia. AHN services every capital city in the country along with other key student destinations. With 15,000 successful placements each year, we are the trusted experts in connecting students with welcoming Australian homes. Our offering includes flexible packages for both under 18s and over 18s as well as homestays for study tour groups.
AHN was the first NEAS-endorsed homestay provider in Australia and is an industry leader, dedicated to delivering global standards, technology and best practices across its network of services. As Australia’s only homestay service that includes insurance coverage with every placement, we deliver safety and reliability every step of the way.
David Bycroft
Australian Homestay Network (AHN)
+61 402 925 632
dbycroft@homestaynetwork.org
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