Universities in the United Kingdom have withdrawn admission offers to Nigerian students amid stricter visa rules by the British government.
Some of the universities reportedly revoked admission offers made mainly to Nigerian and Pakistani applicants in the first half of 2026, following tighter visa requirements and an upsurge in study visa refusals by the UK Home Office.
The Financial Times reported that the withdrawals have increased significantly, with 10.5 per cent of UK study visa applications withdrawn during the first half of 2026, compared with 2.3 per cent in the corresponding period of 2025 and 0.4 per cent in 2023.
The development was attributed to growing concerns among universities that continued high rates of visa refusals could jeopardise their ability to recruit international students.
“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 Financial Times reported.
The publication said the institutions had linked their decisions to a sharp increase in visa refusals by the Home Office, which reportedly doubled during the first six months of 2026.
Nigeria recorded a particularly steep increase in withdrawn study visa applications during the period under review.
According to the report, 22.7 per cent of study visa applications from Nigeria were withdrawn in the first half of 2026, compared with 4.5 per cent in the corresponding period of 2025.
The figures suggest that Nigerian applicants have been disproportionately affected by the changing visa environment, with the proportion of withdrawn applications rising considerably within a year.
The Financial Times noted, however, that although study visa applications could be withdrawn for several reasons, universities identified the increasing withdrawal of admission offers as the principal factor behind the rise.
The report further explained that the increase in visa refusals was linked to the British government’s concerns about applicants suspected of using the student visa route as a means of entering the country and subsequently seeking asylum.
The tightening of immigration controls has placed additional pressure on universities recruiting students from overseas, as institutions risk facing restrictions on international recruitment if their visa refusal rates exceed the prescribed threshold.
Data from Enroly, a firm that provides visa application processing services, indicated that nearly half of UK universities had visa refusal rates above the five per cent threshold, a level that could expose them to a ban on recruiting international students.
The development has also raised concerns about the financial and operational consequences for universities that depend on international enrolment.
International students contribute to university revenues through tuition fees and support the financial sustainability of various academic programmes and campus operations. Restrictions on overseas recruitment could therefore force some institutions to reconsider their spending, staffing and course offerings.
Speaking on the impact of the visa restrictions, the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Sunderland, Sir David Bell, said the institution had been compelled to reconsider its approach to some international 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 of 20 professional and technical universities, warned that the consequences could extend beyond admissions decisions to affect jobs and academic provision.
“This is going to result in restructures, which inevitably result in job losses, course closures, campus closures,” she said.