Nigeria has maintained the top spot for US international students from Africa since the 2007/08 academic year

Since the 2007/08 academic year, Nigeria has consistently held the top spot for the number of African international students in the US. Before this, Kenya and Egypt also led in certain periods.

This trend highlights the evolving landscape of African students pursuing education in the US over the decades.

Source:

Open Doors

Period:

2023/24
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Nearly 89% of UK Study Visa decisions for Africans were approved, compared with 67% for visitor visas
  • The UK made 672,400 visa decisions involving African applicants in 2025.
  • Visitor visas dominated the decisions, accounting for 521,400, or about 78% of the total.
  • Study visas had the highest issue rate, with 88.5% of decisions resulting in issued visas.
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  • Work visa decisions had a 71.6% issue rate, below the global work visa average of 86.5%.
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  • Applicants paid the fee whether their visas were approved or refused.
  • Estimated spending peaked at $49.8 million in FY 2018.
  • Spending recovered to $25.1 million in FY 2024 before falling to $23.2 million in FY 2025.
  • The estimates exclude transport, documents, agents, accommodation and other related costs.
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