Scion Group Secures $556M Student Housing Refi
A partner of the firm's arranged the note.
The Scion Group has secured $555.6 million in financing for a 14-property student housing portfolio totaling 4,295 units and 10,454 beds across nine states. Walker & Dunlop arranged the transaction on behalf of Scion.
The assets are located in Arizona, Alabama, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, North Carolina and Texas. The company secured a floating-rate, interest-only loan through an existing Fannie Mae credit facility.
One property included in the portfolio was Lark Central Florida in Orlando, Fla., according to Yardi Matrix. The, 416-bed, 995-unit community serves students attending the University of Central Florida. The Scion Group owns the property along with CPP Investment Board and GIC, Yardi Matrix shows. For the fall 2026 semester, the community is 88.9 percent preleased.
This transaction continues a longstanding relationship between Walker & Dunlop and The Scion Group. The financing closed within one of Scion’s four Fannie Mae credit facilities, all of which were originated by Walker & Dunlop. In 2024, the firm arranged another $380 million Fannie Mae credit facility refinancing for another 11-property student housing portfolio.
READ ALSO: National Student Housing Report – June 2026
For this most recent deal and the 2024 transaction, Walker & Dunlop’s Capital Markets Real Estate Finance team of Colin Coleman, Brendan Coleman and Will Baker arranged the financing.
Scion’s recent expansion activity
Scion is one of the largest owners and operators of student housing communities across the globe with 190 communities and 118,000 beds under management.
This past May, the company formed a joint venture with an Ares Real Estate fund to acquire a 12-property portfolio with 7,578 beds. The partnership purchased the assets from Harrison Street Asset Management for $910 million in the largest student housing transaction of the year. Communities are located across 10 states.
Also in June, Scion announced that it was acquiring Student Quarters’ operating platform in a transaction valued at $1.5 billion. The acquisition will add 29 assets totaling nearly 13,000 beds at 21 campuses. The deal will close later this quarter.
