UK varsities withdraw admission offers to Nigerians

In recent months, several United Kingdom universities have rescinded admissions offers to Nigerian students due to a visa crackdown by the British government affecting international applicants. The decision comes as the Home Office has tightened rules for international student visas, leading universities to revoke admissions primarily given to Nigerian and Pakistani applicants during the first half of 2026.

According to a Financial Times report, study visa applications to the UK saw a drastic increase in withdrawals, rising from 2.3% in the same period last year to 10.5% this year, and a significant spike from 0.4% in 2023.

The universities clarified that they revoked admissions in response to the Home Office doubling the number of study visas refused during the first six months of 2026. Nigerian study visas faced a particularly high withdrawal rate of 22.7% during the same period, compared to 4.5% in the first half of 2025. Universities attributed the revocations mainly to the surge in rejections, driven by the Home Office's heightened scrutiny of applicants suspected of using the route to make asylum claims.

The British publication reported that almost half of universities now have refusal rates surpassing the five percent threshold, potentially leading to a ban on recruiting international students. The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Sunderland, Sir David Bell, noted the impact on international markets, while Vanessa Wilson, CEO of University Alliance, warned of restructuring, job losses, course closures, and campus closures.

The surge in visa rejections has prompted universities to withdraw admissions en masse, fearing the UK government's stricter visa policies will prevent their recruitment of international students.