Universities in England will now have to pay an annual levy of £925 ($1,200) for each international student beyond an exemption threshold from August 2028, in a move targeting institutions enrolling students from Nigeria, China, Pakistan, India and Bangladesh.
The policy, first announced in the UK government’s 2025 budget, was reaffirmed by the Education Minister, Josh MacAlister, who asserted that the revenue would support England’s higher education and skills system.
The fresh levy, according to the Department of Education, covers both new and existing students.
MacAlister noted that the government had conducted consultations and published an impact assessment in 2025, with an updated analysis expected shortly.
He maintained that a planned increase in domestic tuition fee caps could generate about £6 billion for providers over five years, compared with the levy’s projected cost of less than £1 billion.
Under the proposal, universities will pay £925 annually for each international student, with the first 220 overseas enrolments exempted.
The Office for Students will oversee implementation using enrolment data. Government projects the levy will generate £445 million ($594 million) in 2028-2029, with the figure rising to £480 million ($641 million) by 2030-2031.
Home Office figures showed that Nigeria received 26,060 sponsored study visas in the year ending June 2026, behind China with 86,368 and India with 82,523. Pakistan recorded 19,600, while Bangladesh got about 8,800.
For Nigerian students, who form one of UK’s largest international cohorts, the charge could translate to higher tuition.
The Department for Education data further showed that Nigerian students generated £1.7 billion in UK higher education export revenue in 2024, compared with £5.3 billion from India and £4.9 billion from China. Overall, international students generated an estimated £23.9 billion.
Birmingham City University has already raised fees for continuing international students by 2 per cent for 2026-2027, with further 3.5 per cent planned for 2027-2028. The University of Bath has advised overseas students who began in 2026 to budget for annual increases of up to 8 per cent.
Meanwhile, some British universities had withdrawn admission offers to Nigerian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi applicants over concerns of breaching stricter visa sponsorship requirements.
