Some universities in the United Kingdom have withdrawn admission offers to Nigerian and Pakistani students amid tighter government scrutiny of international student visa applications.

The affected institutions revoked offers largely during the first half of 2026 amid concerns over stricter visa enforcement by the UK Home Office, according to a report by the Financial Times on Saturday.

The report cited a study showing that 10.5 per cent of UK study visa applications were withdrawn during the period, compared with 2.3 per cent in the corresponding period of 2025 and 0.4 per cent in 2023.

Nigeria recorded a higher withdrawal rate, with 22.7 per cent of study visa applications withdrawn in the first half of 2026, compared with 4.5 per cent in the same period last year.

The Financial Times reported that universities had withdrawn admissions amid a doubling in the number of study visa applications rejected by the Home Office during the first six months of 2026.

It added that institutions feared the rising refusal rates could jeopardise their ability to recruit international students, as universities exceeding the permitted threshold risk restrictions on overseas recruitment.

The report attributed the increase in visa refusals partly to concerns among UK authorities that some applicants were using the student visa route to seek asylum.

Data from visa processing firm, Enroly indicated that nearly half of UK universities had visa refusal rates exceeding five per cent, a threshold that could expose them to a ban on recruiting international students.

Commenting on the development, the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Sunderland, Sir David Bell, said the university had reduced its recruitment activities in international markets where visa applications were facing tougher scrutiny.

Meanwhile, Vanessa Wilson, chief executive of University Alliance, a group representing 20 professional and technical universities, warned that the restrictions could force institutions to restructure their operations.

She said the changes could lead to job losses, course cancellations and campus closures across the affected institutions.