UPDATE 1-UNITE unaffected by uni applications fall

* Confident will achieve year rental growth of 3-4 pct

* Sees rise in non-EU student applicants supporting business

LONDON Jan 31 (Reuters) - Britain's largest listed student landlord UNITE does not see a drop in UK university applicants for 2012/13 affecting demand for its rooms and is confident of achieving rental growth of 3-4 percent for the year, it said on Tuesday.

Unite, which manages 40,000 student beds across the UK, said on Tuesday demand for university places still outstripped supply by 32 percent, indicating that the fall in applications would not lead to a reduction in actual student numbers.

"Based on our current reservations for 2012/13, which are in line with the same point in 2011, we remain confident of achieving rental growth of 3-4 percent for the year," it said in a statement.

On Monday, Britain's Universities and Colleges Admission Service said final student application numbers for the 2012/13 academic year fell 7.4 percent, the first year in which UK universities will be allowed to hike their tuition fees.

UNITE also said its business was supported by the 13.7 percent rise in applications from non-European Union students as international students account for a large proportion of its customer base.

In August, UNITE said it was on track to hit its full-year targets and its profit could beat market expectations. (Reporting by Brenda Goh, Editing by Mark Potter)