UK universities withdraw admission offers to Nigerian students amid visa crackdown

Some universities in the United Kingdom have begun withdrawing admission offers to Nigerian students following tighter visa restrictions imposed by the British government on international applicants.

The affected institutions reportedly revoked offers made largely to Nigerian and Pakistani applicants during the first half of 2026, amid concerns that stricter immigration enforcement could affect their ability to recruit students from overseas.

According to a report by the Financial Times on Saturday, a study found that 10.5 per cent of UK study visa applications were withdrawn during the period, compared with 2.3 per cent in the corresponding period of 2025 and 0.4 per cent in 2023.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 publication reported that the universities’ decisions followed a doubling of study visa refusals by the UK Home Office during the first six months of 2026.

Nigeria recorded a particularly sharp increase in withdrawn applications, with 22.7 per cent of study visa applications from the country withdrawn in the first half of 2026, compared with 4.5 per cent in the corresponding period of 2025.

“While visa applications can be withdrawn for other reasons, universities said the main driver had been an increase in their revoking offers,” it added.

The Financial Times further reported that the rise in visa refusals was linked to an increase in applications rejected by the Home Office because of suspicions that some applicants were using the student visa route to seek asylum in the UK.

The development has heightened concerns among British universities about the possible consequences of the government’s tougher immigration policies for international student recruitment.

Data from Enroly, a firm that processes visa applications, showed that nearly half of UK universities had visa refusal rates exceeding the five per cent threshold that could expose them to a ban on recruiting international students.

The restrictions have also raised concerns about the financial and operational sustainability of institutions that depend on international student enrolment.

Speaking on the impact of the policy, the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Sunderland, Sir David Bell, said, “This has involved pulling back from international markets where a tougher approach is being taken to visa applications”.

Similarly, Vanessa Wilson, chief executive of University Alliance, a group representing 20 professional and technical universities, warned that the consequences could extend beyond international admissions to affect jobs and academic programmes.

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

The developments could further complicate the plans of Nigerian students seeking admission to British universities, as institutions become more cautious about applicants from countries experiencing higher visa refusal rates.