Applications for student visas to UK at lowest in four years

Applications for student visas by international students are at the lowest they have been in four years, according to statistics released by the Home Office on January 8.

This is another blow to the finances of UK universities as the December numbers for the applications had been described as a “danger sign” by experts.

December showed the numbers dropping to 29,300, a far cry from the 46,000 applicants in December 2022, and even lower than the 35,200 in December 2024.

December is one of the busiest months for enrolments, so these figures are concerning for universities.

Competitors for student recruitment […] have tightened their visa rules

Simon Marginson, professor of higher education at the University of Bristol and the University of Oxford, told Research Professional News that these numbers represent “a danger sign on the demand side”.

He said that the Home Office can determine the supply side in terms of how many of the applications can then be enrolled into UK universities, but that “a softening of demand means some individual institutions may struggle to meet targets”.

Nick Hillman, director of the Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI) also said that these figures are particularly “terrible” because competitors for student recruitment, such as Australia, the USA and Canada, have tightened their visa rules.

He described the numbers as a “disaster” for “university finances and the UK’s soft power”.

Universities will hope that more international students begin to apply for study visas again

Rule changes in January 2024 came into effect which prevented most students from bringing dependents on their study visas, which coincided with a sharp drop in the numbers from 2024.

There was an uptick in international student visa numbers during 2025, with applications being 4.5% higher over the whole of 2025 than during the previous year, but the recovery seems to have stalled in recent months, and the numbers for the year were still 10% lower than in 2023.

Universities will hope that more international students begin to apply for study visas again, especially higher education’s already turbulent financial situation.

Analysis from the Office for Students (OfS) in November 2025 found that 114 of England’s 276 higher education institutions are expected to be in deficit in the 2026-27 financial year.