Some universities in the United Kingdom have withdrawn admission offers to Nigerian students amid a government crackdown on international student visas, raising concerns about the impact on prospective applicants and higher education institutions.
The affected universities withdrew offers made largely to Nigerian and Pakistani applicants during the first half of 2026, as the UK Home Office tightened visa rules for international students.
According to a Financial Times report published on Saturday, a study found that 10.5 per cent of UK study visa applications were withdrawn during the first half of 2026, up from 2.3 per cent in the same period in 2025 and 0.4 per cent in 2023.
“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.
The newspaper reported that universities had begun withdrawing admissions in response to a doubling in the number of study visa applications refused by the Home Office during the first six months of 2026.
The proportion of study visa applications from Nigeria that were withdrawn rose to 22.7 per cent in the first half of 2026, compared with 4.5 per cent during the same period in 2025.
“While visa applications can be withdrawn for other reasons, universities said the main driver had been an increase in their revoking offers,” the report added.
The Financial Times further reported that the increase in visa refusals was driven partly by applications from people suspected by the UK government of using the student visa route to seek asylum.
Data from Enroly, a visa processing application firm, indicated that nearly half of UK universities had visa refusal rates exceeding the five per cent threshold, potentially putting them at risk of being barred from recruiting international students.
Commenting on the impact of the restrictions, the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Sunderland, Sir David Bell, said the institution had reduced its recruitment efforts in affected markets.
“This has involved pulling back from international markets where a tougher approach is being taken to visa applications,” Bell said.
Vanessa Wilson, chief executive of University Alliance, a group representing 20 professional and technical universities, warned that the restrictions could have significant consequences for institutions and their staff.
“This is going to result in restructures, which inevitably result in job losses, course closures, campus closures,” she said.
