British universities will pay an annual levy of £925 ($1,200) for each international student above an exemption threshold from August 2028, a policy that could increase the cost of studying in the United Kingdom for students from Nigeria and other countries.
The proposed International Student Levy is expected to generate £445 million ($594 million) in its first year, with revenue earmarked to support England’s higher education and skills system, including grants for disadvantaged domestic students.
The policy will apply to universities recruiting international students from countries including Nigeria, India, China, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Ghana and Kenya. However, students will not be required to pay the levy directly.
Universities could instead respond by increasing tuition fees for overseas students to recover some or all of the additional costs, potentially placing further pressure on applicants already facing rising education and living expenses in the UK.
How the £925 International Student Levy Will Work
Under the proposed arrangement, universities in England will be charged £925 annually for each international student above the first 220 overseas enrolments, which will be exempt from the levy.
For a university with 1,000 international students, the annual charge would amount to £721,500 after the exemption.
The levy will cover both new and existing international students, while the Office for Students will oversee its implementation using enrolment data. The government also plans to adjust the charge annually in line with inflation.
Official projections indicate that the policy will generate £445 million in 2028–2029, rising to £465 million in 2029–2030 and £480 million in 2030–2031.
The government first announced the measure in its 2025 Budget and reaffirmed its plans on October 19, 2026, when Education Minister Josh MacAlister addressed the policy in Parliament.
Nigerians Among Students Potentially Affected
Nigeria remains an important source of international students for British universities, alongside India, China, Pakistan and Bangladesh.
Home Office figures cited in the report show that China received 86,368 sponsored study visas in the year ending June 2026, followed by India with 82,523 and Nigeria with 26,060. Pakistan recorded 19,600 adult student visas, while Bangladesh received approximately 8,800 over the same period.
The financial contribution of these students to the British economy is also substantial. According to the Department for Education, students from India generated £5.3 billion in UK higher education export revenue in 2024, compared with £4.9 billion from China and £1.7 billion from Nigeria.
Although the levy will be paid by universities rather than students, institutions could adjust their tuition pricing to offset the additional expense. Any such increases would add to the financial burden on Nigerian families financing overseas education.
UK Universities Already Increasing International Tuition Fees
Some British universities have already announced tuition fee increases for international students, illustrating the financial pressures facing overseas applicants.
Birmingham City University raised fees for continuing international students by 2% for the 2026–2027 academic year and plans a further 3.5% increase for 2027–2028.
The University of Bath has also advised international students who began their courses in 2026 to budget for annual tuition fee increases of up to 8%.
The proposed levy could intensify these pressures when it takes effect in August 2028, although individual universities will determine how they respond to the additional charge.
For prospective Nigerian students, the eventual impact will depend on institutional pricing decisions, course fees, scholarship availability and other changes to the UK’s international education and immigration policies.
The levy comes as British universities face tighter immigration rules, weaker international recruitment and growing concerns about their financial sustainability.
Some institutions have withdrawn admission offers to Nigerian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi applicants amid concerns about compliance with stricter visa sponsorship requirements.
