Australia student visa rejections near 80% for Kenyan and Nigerian applicants

Student visa rejection rates for university applicants from Kenya and Nigeria approached 80% in September 2026, compared with less than 10% in the same month of 2025, according to Australian Department of Home Affairs figures. The collapse in approvals from Africa and South Asia is hitting Australian universities that depend on international tuition fees.

Applicants from India, Nepal, Bangladesh and Bhutan have seen similar falls, and three institutions — Murdoch University, Charles Sturt University and Adelaide University — are reviewing staffing costs as enrolments drop.

Key facts

• Kenya and Nigeria university applicant rejection rates approached 80% in September 2026, against under 10% a year earlier.
• India recorded 190 approvals in September, down from 1,422; Nepal 87 against 1,074.
• Bangladesh had 14 visas approved against 730 the previous year; Bhutan fell from 82 to nine.
• Adelaide University projects an A$90 million shortfall in international tuition revenue.
• Charles Sturt University is considering cuts affecting approximately 100 full-time positions.

Which nationalities are worst affected?

Figures from the Australian Department of Home Affairs cited by Times Higher Education show rejection rates for university applicants from Nigeria and Kenya approaching 80% in September 2026, versus less than 10% in September 2025.

Approvals for Indian higher education applicants fell to 190 from 1,422 a year earlier, while Nepal recorded 87 approvals compared with 1,074. Bangladesh saw 14 visas approved against 730, and Bhutan's approvals dropped from 82 to nine. Murdoch University, which recruits from India, Nepal, Bangladesh and Bhutan, is among the institutions affected.

China, Australia's largest international student source market, followed a different pattern: visa approval rates remained above 90%, despite a 24% year-on-year decline in higher education applications during September.

Why is this happening?

The restrictions form part of the Australian government's efforts to strengthen immigration controls, prevent visa misuse and improve oversight of international education providers. The source does not detail the specific rule changes involved.

University officials have warned that the measures are also affecting genuine applicants and reducing funding available for teaching, research and other operations. Phil Honeywood, chief executive of the International Education Association of Australia, described the policy environment as the most restrictive he had encountered in more than two decades.

How are universities responding?

Murdoch University in Perth is reviewing its operations after a decline in international student enrolments. Vice-chancellor Andrew Deeks told staff that organisational changes may be necessary, saying expenditure must be reduced in next year's budget and going forward.

Deeks said Western Australia had been disproportionately affected, with refusal rates for university applicants reaching up to 17 percentage points above the national average in recent months. International students made up 57% of Murdoch's total enrolments in 2024, although two-fifths attended its overseas campuses in Dubai and Singapore. The university has also seen first-semester domestic enrolments fall 22% between 2022 and 2026.

At Charles Sturt University, international student numbers fell 35% year-on-year and management is considering cuts affecting approximately 100 full-time positions. Adelaide University projects an A$90 million shortfall in international tuition revenue as foreign enrolments decline to approximately 16,700, compared with 20,800 across its two predecessor institutions in the corresponding period in 2025. It is considering a voluntary early retirement programme and possible voluntary redundancies, but no final decisions have been announced.

What this means for travellers

Students from Kenya, Nigeria, India, Nepal, Bangladesh and Bhutan planning to study in Australia face a markedly higher chance of visa refusal than a year ago, based on the Home Affairs figures. Prospective applicants from those countries should factor the elevated refusal risk into their planning before committing to tuition or travel arrangements.

Times Higher Education reported the developments on 26 October 2026. No changes to the visa rules themselves, or to any application process, are announced in the source.