UK Universities Withdraw Admission Offers To Nigerian Students Amid Visa Crackdown

By Sabiu Abdullahi

Some universities in the United Kingdom have withdrawn admission offers to Nigerian students and other international applicants amid stricter visa rules introduced by the British government.

The affected offers were reportedly revoked mainly during the first half of 2026, with Nigerian and Pakistani applicants among those most affected by the changes.

A report by the Financial Times on Saturday cited a study that found that 10.5 per cent of UK study visa applications were withdrawn during the period, compared with 2.3 per cent in the corresponding period of 2025 and 0.4 per cent in 2023.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 said universities were withdrawing offers partly in response to a sharp rise in study visa refusals by the UK Home Office during the first 6 months of 2026.

For Nigerian applicants, the proportion of study visa applications withdrawn rose to 22.7 per cent in the first half of 2026, compared with 4.5 per cent during the same period in 2025.

“While visa applications can be withdrawn for other reasons, universities said the main driver had been an increase in their revoking offers,” it added.

According to the report, the increase in visa refusals was linked to concerns among British authorities that some applicants were using the student visa route to seek asylum in the country.

Data from visa processing firm Enroly indicated that nearly half of UK universities had visa refusal rates above the 5 per cent threshold, a level that could expose them to restrictions on recruiting international students.

The tightening rules have also raised concerns about the financial and operational consequences for universities that depend on international student enrolment.

The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Sunderland, Sir David Bell, said the institution had adjusted its recruitment approach in response to the tougher visa environment.

“This has involved pulling back from international markets where a tougher approach is being taken to visa applications”.

Vanessa Wilson, chief executive of University Alliance, which represents 20 professional and technical universities, warned that the changes could have wider consequences for the sector.

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

The developments could create further uncertainty for Nigerian students planning to study in the UK, as universities seek to reduce the risk of visa refusals and potential restrictions on international recruitment.