The study visa picture.
Explore entry clearance visas for the adult Student route by nationality.
Five years ending June, drawn from the Home Office's immigration system statistics.
HOME OFFICE VISA DATAYears ending June 2022–2026Published 27 August 2026
Before interpreting trends · This page covers the adult Student route only: Child Student and Short-term study are excluded. There is no visa data by university, city or market. Grants are not arrivals, and nationality is not domicile (for domicile, see Enrolments (HESA)). January–June 2026 figures are provisional.
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NATIONALITY VIEW
Entry clearance, adult Student route
Five-year grants
Main applicants and dependants, shown separately · years ending June
Main applicantsDependants
Nationality
Top nationalities, with China always shown · year ending June 2026 (provisional)
Nationality on the visa, not domicile. Most students' dependants restricted from 1 January 2024 (postgraduate research and government-funded scholarship students excepted). Named-country domicile for students is in Enrolments (HESA).
View five-year values
Applications
Vis_D01 · counted when the application is made
Applications
Outcomes and grant rate
Vis_D02 · counted when decided. Applications and outcomes are counted at different points, so don't compare them directly.
| Year ending June | Issued | Refused | Withdrawn | Lapsed | Grant rate (calculated by PBSAintel) |
|---|
Grant rate = issued ÷ (issued + refused). Withdrawn and lapsed applications are shown but excluded from the rate. The rate is not shown for fewer than 50 decisions (issued plus refused).
Quarterly history
Visas granted by quarter. Each quarter is compared with the same quarter a year earlier, never with the previous quarter, because grants are seasonal.
Visas granted
View quarterly values
| Quarter | Granted | Same quarter a year earlier | Change |
|---|
Course level
Edu_D02 · main applicants only · years ending March (latest: year ending March 2026, latest published). Not accredited official statistics; provisional from 2025 Q1.
These totals are lower than the entry clearance figures by design: records not matched to a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) (1.1–1.4%) are dropped. The two sources are not reconciled.
In-country: extensions
Exe_D01 · grants of extensions · years ending June
Student extensions, main applicantsDependants
Graduate route, main applicantsDependants
Graduate route opened 1 July 2021. Its length falls to 18 months from 1 January 2027 (after this data). Student extensions exclude Child Student.
Monthly applications (provisional)
All sponsored study (includes Child Student), provisional management information rounded to 100, no nationality breakdown. Shown separately and never combined with the quarterly figures above.
READ THE DATA CORRECTLY
Context behind the numbers.
Adult Student route. Visa type subgroups "Student" and "Tier 4 - General Student": the same adult route before and after it was renamed on 5 October 2020. Child Student and Short-term study are excluded.
Years ending June. Each year runs from July (Q3) to the following June (Q2), matching the Home Office release. Q1 and Q2 2026 are provisional (Home Office Note 1).
Main applicants and dependants are always shown separately and never added together.
Policy timeline. Student route from 5 October 2020. Graduate route opened 1 July 2021. Most students' dependants restricted from 1 January 2024. Visa brake from 26 March 2026 for Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar and Sudan. Graduate route falls to 18 months from 1 January 2027.
Not a local measure. There is no visa data by university, city or market. A grant is permission to travel, not an arrival or an enrolment.
Next releases. Monthly: 8 October 2026 (confirmed). Quarterly: 26 November 2026 (gov.uk release calendar, provisional).