Applications for UK study visas in the peak application month of August have fallen sharply, the .
In that month, 360,700 applications were made for sponsored study visas, a 16 per cent decline on the corresponding month in 2025.
Student visa applications spike in August, ahead of the start of the new academic year, so a decline in that month is particularly significant and is likely to sound alarm bells around a sector already struggling financially.
The drop follows a during August 2025, compared with August 2024 – a recovery from a sharp decline the previous year, after the government banned all international students except those on postgraduate research courses from bringing dependants with them.
In addition, there was another steep drop in the number of dependants who applied for a visa. The 17,000 applications received amounted to a 22Â per cent fall compared with August 2025.
That means that applications from dependants have slumped by 88Â per cent since the end of 2023, when the dependants ban was introduced.
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