UK to charge universities £925 a year per foreign student from 2028
- England will levy universities £925 yearly for each international student beyond the first 220, starting August 2028.
- Nigeria is among the top source countries, with 26,060 sponsored study visas in the year to June 2026.
- The levy falls on universities, but analysts expect some to pass costs on through higher tuition fees.
Universities in England will pay an annual levy of £925 for each international student they enrol beyond a set baseline, under a policy the UK government has reaffirmed and plans to start in August 2028.
The charge, first announced in the 2025 Budget, applies to students from Nigeria, China, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Kenya, Ghana, Zimbabwe and South Africa, among other markets. It covers both new and continuing students.
For Nigerian families weighing a UK degree, the levy itself is not billed to students. It is paid by universities. But analysts expect some institutions to recover the cost through tuition, and at least two universities have already announced fee increases for international students.
Why Nigeria matters to the numbers
Home Office data for the year ending June 2026 shows Nigeria received 26,060 sponsored study visas, behind China with 86,368 and India with 82,523. Pakistan recorded 19,600 and Bangladesh about 8,800.
Department for Education figures put the export value of Nigerian students to the UK at £1.7 billion in 2024, against £5.3 billion from India and £4.9 billion from China. International students overall were worth an estimated £23.9 billion.
Under the design, the first 220 international enrolments at each university are exempt. A university with 1,000 foreign students would pay £721,500 a year after the allowance. The Office for Students will collect the levy using official enrolment data, and the rate will be adjusted for inflation.
The Treasury expects £445 million in 2028–29, rising to £465 million in 2029–30 and £480 million by 2030–31.
The argument on both sides
Education minister Josh MacAlister told Parliament on 19 October that the government had consulted publicly and published an impact assessment in 2025, with an updated one due soon. He said planned rises in domestic tuition fee caps would give providers about £6 billion over five years, more than covering the levy's cost to universities, which he put at under £1 billion over the same period.
University leaders have pushed back, warning of falling overseas enrolment and rising operating costs. The National Union of Students and the Russell Group are among those reported to have concerns. Punch reported that the levy is meant to fund maintenance grants for disadvantaged domestic students, worth up to £1,000 a year in the first two years and £750 after that, focused on courses such as engineering and healthcare.
Birmingham City University has raised fees for continuing international students by 2 per cent for 2026–27, with 3.5 per cent planned for 2027–28. The University of Bath has told students who started in 2026 to budget for increases of up to 8 per cent a year.
Vanguard also reported that some British universities had withdrawn admission offers to Nigerian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi applicants over concerns about stricter visa sponsorship rules. Visa applications are reported to have fallen 22 per cent in a year.
What happens next
The levy takes effect in August 2028, with the rate reviewed yearly. Prospective students should check each university's published fees for their cohort before accepting an offer, since institutions decide individually whether to pass on costs.
