UK student visa applications fall sharply in key month of August

Applications for UK study visas in the peak application month of August have fallen sharply, the government has announced.

In that month, 360,700 applications were made for sponsored study visas, a 16 per cent decline on the corresponding month in 2025.

Student visa applications spike in August, ahead of the start of the new academic year, so a decline in that month is particularly significant and is likely to sound alarm bells around a sector already struggling financially.

The drop follows a small rise of 2 per cent during August 2025, compared with August 2024 – a recovery from a sharp decline the previous year, after the government banned all international students except those on postgraduate research courses from bringing dependants with them.

In addition, there was another steep drop in the number of dependants who applied for a visa. The 17,000 applications received amounted to a 22 per cent fall compared with August 2025.

That means that applications from dependants have slumped by 88 per cent since the end of 2023, when the dependants ban was introduced.

paul.jump@timeshighereducation.com