UK universities are withdrawing admission offers to Nigerian students amid a surge in study visa application withdrawals and fears that stricter immigration rules could bar institutions from recruiting international students.
The Financial Times, in a report published on Saturday, said that 22.7 per cent of UK study visa applications from Nigerians were withdrawn in the first half of 2026, up from 4.5 per cent during the same period in 2025.
The increase comes as the UK government tightens rules for universities sponsoring international students, with institutions now facing the risk of being barred from recruiting overseas students if more than five per cent of prospective international students they admit have their visa applications rejected.
The threshold was previously 10 per cent.
According to the FT, universities have increasingly withdrawn admission offers in response to a doubling in study visa refusals by the UK Home Office in the first six months of 2026 compared with the corresponding period last year.
Although visa applications can be withdrawn for other reasons, universities told the newspaper that the increase was largely driven by institutions revoking offers to avoid breaching the compliance threshold.