Hundreds of international students accepted on courses by University College London have been left in limbo and facing thousands of pounds in costs, after the university admitted it had run out of places just days before many were due to start.
About 200 students from China alone have been affected after UCL exceeded its visa allocations for the coming academic year, with the university initially telling the students that they would have to defer their studies until 2026.
UCL has blamed “an extraordinary surge in demand” for the over-recruitment of international students, and has told those affected that it was negotiating with the Home Office to increase its visa allocation.
Several students who spoke to the Guardian said they had already spent the equivalent of thousands of pounds on travel, application fees and accommodation in London after they were accepted by UCL.
The students said UCL had contacted them two weeks ago to say it was unable to issue a confirmation of acceptance for studies (CAS), an electronic document from the Home Office that is essential for student visa applications.
A student who was already in the UK for the start of term said she faced deportation without a student visa, while one said she had been told by UCL staff that a resolution was expected by the end of this week, including the offer of remote learning.
One Chinese student, who wished to remain anonymous, said: “Myself and countless others navigated the arduous application process with precision and care. We met every deadline, submitted every required document, and against all odds, secured our unconditional offers well before the start of term.
“We are the model applicants any university would be proud to welcome. Yet, instead of preparing for our studies, we are now paying the price for an institutional failure that we could neither foresee nor prevent.”
A spokesperson for UCL said: “We’ve experienced significantly more applications and acceptances of offers than anticipated, and as a result, we have exceeded the number of confirmation of acceptance for studies (CAS) numbers allocated to us by the Home Office. Our planning is based on historical data and expected trends which take account of attrition rates and other factors.
“We are urgently working with the Home Office to secure additional CAS numbers and are doing everything we can to resolve this as quickly as possible. In the meantime, we are contacting affected students directly to explain the situation, offer our sincere apologies, and provide support including the option to defer their place to next year.
“We also recognise that some of our recent communications have caused confusion and uncertainty, and we are sincerely sorry for that.”
The Home Office declined to comment on UCL’s case but a spokesperson said: “Managing confirmation of acceptance for studies allocations is the responsibility of the institutions themselves – not the Home Office.
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“In a nutshell, we expect all universities to keep a close eye on visa refusal rates and student enrolment to ensure CAS allocations are used properly.
“Requests for additional CAS allocations are assessed in line with sponsorship guidance – taking into account the sponsor’s justification, their compliance with Home Office requirements, and their overall track record.”
Universities must apply annually to the Home Office for CAS allocations with a forecast of how many international students each expects to admit.
Just over half of UCL’s 52,000 students are from overseas, with about 14,000 from mainland China.
Some of the Chinese students said they had sought assistance from China’s foreign ministry. China’s embassy in London has been contacted for comment.
