UK universities are withdrawing admission offers to Nigerian students amid a surge in study visa application withdrawals and fears that stricter immigration rules could bar institutions from recruiting international students.
The Financial Times, in a report published on Saturday, said that 22.7 per cent of UK study visa applications from Nigerians were withdrawn in the first half of 2026, up from 4.5 per cent during the same period in 2025.
The increase comes as the UK government tightens rules for universities sponsoring international students, with institutions now facing the risk of being barred from recruiting overseas students if more than five per cent of prospective international students they admit have their visa applications rejected.
The threshold was previously 10 per cent.
According to the FT, universities have increasingly withdrawn admission offers in response to a doubling in study visa refusals by the UK Home Office in the first six months of 2026 compared with the corresponding period last year.
Although visa applications can be withdrawn for other reasons, universities told the newspaper that the increase was largely driven by institutions revoking offers to avoid breaching the compliance threshold.
The trend has also affected applicants from other countries. The proportion of study visa applications withdrawn by prospective students from Pakistan rose to 40.9 per cent in the first half of 2026, compared with three per cent a year earlier.
For Bangladesh, the rate increased from 7.1 to 23.5 per cent, while India’s rose from 1.2 to 5.2 per cent.
The FT reported that about 15 universities were believed to have suspended recruitment from Pakistan entirely this year, citing figures from the higher education sector.
Vice-chancellor of the University of Sunderland, Sir David Bell, said the increase in visa refusals had prompted universities to take preventive measures.
“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.
The Director of Universities UK International, Jamie Arrowsmith, which represents institutions recruiting overseas students, acknowledged the need to maintain confidence in the immigration system but criticised the unpredictability of visa processing.
“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.
The developments have raised concerns about the financial outlook for UK universities, which rely on tuition fees from international students as a significant source of income.
Vanessa Wilson, chief executive of University Alliance, a group representing 20 professional and technical universities, warned that the pressure could lead to job losses and closures.
“This is going to result in restructures, which inevitably results in job losses, course closures, campus closures,” she said.
The FT also reported that some universities had cited what they considered questionable reasons for visa refusals, including applicants’ previous consideration of studying in other countries and a doctoral applicant’s inability to name course modules that did not exist for the research degree.
The Home Office said international students made a positive contribution to Britain but insisted that recruitment must not undermine the country’s immigration system.
It said it was offering universities support where necessary to improve their recruitment practices.
(Punch)