UK universities are cancelling admission offers to Nigerian students as rising visa refusals and tighter immigration regulations put institutions under pressure to comply with the country’s stricter rules for recruiting international students.
According to a report by the Financial Times published on Saturday, 22.7 per cent of UK study visa applications from Nigerians were withdrawn in the first half of 2026, a sharp increase from 4.5 per cent recorded during the same period in 2025.
The development follows a policy change by the UK government, which has reduced the visa refusal threshold for universities sponsoring international students from 10 per cent to five per cent. Institutions exceeding the limit risk losing their authorisation to recruit students from abroad.
The newspaper reported that UK universities had stepped up the withdrawal of admission offers following a doubling of study visa refusals by the Home Office in the first six months of 2026 compared with the same period in 2025.
Although visa applications may be withdrawn for several reasons, some universities reportedly said the growing figures were largely linked to institutions revoking admission offers to avoid violating the new compliance requirements.
The situation extends beyond Nigeria, with applicants from other countries also experiencing a rise in withdrawn visa applications.
The proportion of applications withdrawn by Pakistani students increased from three per cent in the first half of 2025 to 40.9 per cent in the corresponding period of 2026. Bangladesh recorded an increase from 7.1 per cent to 23.5 per cent, while India’s figure rose from 1.2 per cent to 5.2 per cent.
The Financial Times also reported that around 15 universities were believed to have completely suspended recruitment from Pakistan this year, citing figures from the higher education sector.
University of Sunderland Vice-Chancellor, Sir David Bell, said the sharp and unexpected increase in visa refusals had forced institutions to take precautionary 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.
Meanwhile, Jamie Arrowsmith, director of Universities UK International, which represents institutions that recruit overseas students, said maintaining public confidence in the immigration system was important but criticised the inconsistent nature 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.
The growing restrictions have also raised questions about the financial stability of UK universities, many of which depend heavily on tuition fees paid by international students.
Vanessa Wilson, chief executive of University Alliance, which represents 20 professional and technical universities, warned that the situation could trigger significant cuts across the sector.
“This is going to result in restructures, which inevitably results in job losses, course closures, campus closures,” she said.
The report further highlighted cases in which universities questioned the grounds for visa refusals. These included applicants being turned down because they had previously considered studying in other countries and a doctoral candidate reportedly being unable to identify course modules that did not exist for the research degree.
In response, the UK Home Office said international students contributed positively to the country but maintained that universities must ensure their recruitment activities do not compromise the immigration system.
The department added that it was providing support to universities where necessary to help improve their recruitment practices.