UK student visa refusal rates rise amid falling applicant numbers

The number of student visas granted in the UK has fallen to a post-pandemic low as refusal rates reached their highest level in a decade, figures show.

Home Office data released on 21 May show that 35,625 sponsored study-related visas were issued in the first three months of the year – the lowest for the quarter since 2020.

This was down almost a third on the number granted in the same period in 2025 and 60 per cent below the 2023 peak. The number of applications fell among all the top 10 largest source countries to the UK market.

In the 12 months to March, 409,954 visas were granted – 3 per cent less than the previous year, and 34 per cent below the year to March 2023.

And amid declining applications, the number of visas refused has also shot up – climbing by 56 per cent year-on-year to 5,499 in the first quarter of 2026.

This was slightly more than the level refused in 2023, but the fewer applications overall resulted in a higher refusal rate.

About 13 per cent of all study visa applications were refused between January and March – double the proportion of 2025 and the highest level since 2015.

Students have complained that they have been facing longer waits for visas since January of this year – particularly those from Pakistan.

January also marked the reduction of the graduate visa, which experts have warned could reduce demand. The time international graduates can stay in the country is being reduced from the current two years to 18 months.

Some of the largest contributors of students, such as India, Nepal and China, saw slight increases in their refusal rates. But other countries were much harder hit.

The number of visa refusals quadrupled among Nigerian applicants and trebled among those from Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

Just 1 per cent of applicants from China or the US were refused student visas during this period, along with 4 per cent from Nepal and 7 per cent from India. But the refusal rate was 21 per cent in Nigeria and 39 per cent in Pakistan.

Ahead of the introduction of stricter visa compliance metrics, some universities have stopped student recruitment from countries with high visa refusal rates.

Separate data from the Home Office show that about 21,700 entry clearance visas were granted for master’s students in the UK in the first quarter of 2026.

This was a 35 per cent fall from 33,300 in the same period last year – and it means that the lucrative income stream fell to its lowest level in six years.

patrick.jack@timeshighereducation.com