UK universities withdraw offers to Nigerian students as visa refusals rise

UK universities are withdrawing admission offers to prospective Nigerian students as a sharp rise in study visa refusals puts institutions at risk of losing the right to recruit international students.

According to a report by the Financial Times, 22.7% of UK study visa applications from Nigeria were withdrawn in the first half of 2026, up from 4.5% in the corresponding period of 2025.

The increase comes as the UK Home Office tightens the rules governing universities’ recruitment of overseas students.

Under the revised rules, universities risk losing permission to recruit international students if more than 5% of prospective students they admit subsequently have their visa applications rejected, down from the previous threshold of 10%.

Universities scale back international recruitment

10.5% of UK study visa applications were withdrawn in the first six months of 2026, compared with 2.3% in the same period last year and 0.4% in 2023, according to the Financial Times report.

• “Universities are revoking offers en masse made to international applicants from countries including Nigeria and Pakistan as they fear the UK government’s visa crackdown will result in a ban on their recruiting international students,” the report stated.

Universities say the increase in withdrawn applications has largely been driven by a doubling in study visa refusals by the Home Office in the first half of 2026 compared with the same period in 2025.

Pakistan recorded the highest proportion of withdrawn study visa applications among the nationalities highlighted in the report, at 40.9% in the first half of 2026, compared with 3% a year earlier.

Bangladesh’s share rose from 7.1% to 23.5%, while India’s increased from 1.2% to 5.2% over the same period.

Universities raise concerns over visa decisions

Sir David Bell, vice-chancellor of the University of Sunderland, said the increase in refusals had prompted universities to take preventive measures by reducing recruitment from certain international markets.

• “The recent and unexpected spike in visa refusals has prompted pre-emptive action in several universities. This has involved pulling back from international markets where a tougher approach is being taken to visa applications,” he said.

Jamie Arrowsmith, director of Universities UK International, said universities recognised the need to maintain confidence in the immigration system but had concerns about the consistency of visa decisions.

• “Many refusals appear to rest on flawed, inconsistent and highly subjective reasoning, forcing universities to withdraw offers at scale to avoid breaching compliance thresholds,” he said.

Universities have cited cases in which applicants were refused visas because they had previously considered studying in other countries, while some PhD applicants were questioned about course modules that did not exist for their research degrees.

Universities warn of job losses and course closures

The visa restrictions come as UK universities face declining overseas applications and increased competition for international students, putting pressure on a key source of revenue.

Vanessa Wilson, chief executive of University Alliance, said the financial impact could lead to restructuring, job losses and the closure of courses and campuses.

• “This is going to result in restructures, which inevitably results in job losses, course closures, campus closures,” she said.

Professor James Miller, vice-chancellor of the University of the West of Scotland and convener of Universities Scotland, said some institutions had stopped recruiting from particular regions to keep visa refusal rates below the 5% threshold.

Miller warned that many universities could experience a drop of more than 20% in overseas student numbers this year, making job cuts “inevitable” if the situation did not change.

UK tightens rules for international student recruitment

The latest visa-refusal concerns follow earlier UK measures aimed at tightening universities’ recruitment and monitoring of international students.

Nairametrics reported in June 2026 that the UK had tightened sponsorship requirements for universities recruiting international students, including raising the minimum enrolment rate from 90% to 95% and scheduling an increase in the minimum course-completion rate from 85% to 90% from June 2027.

The restrictions come amid strong demand from Nigerian students for UK education. Nairametrics reported that the UK granted 30,204 study visas to Nigerians in 2025, representing a 59% increase from 2024.