UK student visa rejections climb while overseas applications fall

The United Kingdom’s issuance of student visas has fallen to its lowest level since the pandemic, while refusal rates have risen to their highest point in ten years, according to new data from the UK Home Office.

On 21 May, the Home Office released figures showing that 35,625 study‑related visas were granted between January and March 2026. This is the lowest first‑quarter total since 2020, a decline of almost one‑third compared with the same period in 2025 and 60 percent below the peak recorded in 2023. Applications fell across all of the UK’s top ten source countries for students.

Over the 12 months ending in March 2026, a total of 409,954 study visas were issued. That represents a 3 percent drop from the previous year and a 34 percent decline from the year ending March 2023.

Despite the overall reduction in applications, the number of refusals increased sharply. Rejected applications rose 56 percent year‑on‑year to 5,499 during the first quarter of 2026.

Although the total number of refusals was only slightly higher than in 2023, the decline in applications pushed the refusal rate significantly higher. Between January and March, about 13 percent of all study visa applications were rejected, double the proportion recorded in 2025 and the highest rate since 2015.

International students have reported longer processing times since January, with applicants from Pakistan among those most affected.

The tougher environment coincided with changes to the UK’s graduate visa scheme introduced in January. Under the revised policy, international graduates can now remain in the country for 18 months after completing their studies, down from the previous two‑year period.

While India, Nepal and China saw only modest increases in refusal rates, other nations experienced much steeper rises. Visa refusals for Nigerian applicants quadrupled during the period, while rejection rates for applicants from Pakistan and Sri Lanka tripled.

Data showed that only 1 percent of applicants from China and the United States were denied visas. Refusal rates stood at 4 percent for Nepal and 7 percent for India, but climbed to 21 percent for Nigeria and 39 percent for Pakistan.

In response to stricter visa compliance requirements expected to take effect, some UK universities have reportedly halted recruitment efforts in countries with high refusal rates.

Separate Home Office figures also revealed a sharp decline in visas issued to master’s students. About 21,700 entry clearance visas were granted to master’s applicants in the first quarter of 2026, down 35 percent from 33,300 during the same period in 2025. The decline pushed one of the UK higher education sector’s most valuable sources of international revenue to its lowest level in six years.

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