Is there a list? Quick answers
- Is there an official Green, Amber, Red list of UK universities?
- No. As of 25 Oct 2026, UKVI has not published a rating for any university. Ratings will be published on the register of student sponsors at the same time, once every sponsor has had its first rating (Home Office guidance). HOA does not expect that before summer 2027.
- Then what are the “green lists” online?
- Estimates. Whoever made them cannot see UKVI’s ratings, so treat any named list, HOA’s included, as analysis rather than fact.
- Is my university Green, Amber or Red?
- Only UKVI and the university know. You can ask the university in writing, and you can make the five public checks below.
- Does an Amber or Red rating stop my visa?
- No. It limits how many CAS a university can issue. It does not cancel visas or offers, but a capped allocation can run out, so finish each step early.
Summary: the UK RAG system in eight points
- What it is. From 1 June 2026, UKVI rates every student sponsor Green, Amber or Red as part of its Basic Compliance Assessment (BCA) (Home Office).
- Three measures. Visa refusal rate, enrolment rate and course completion rate. Completion does not count in the first ratings; it counts from assessments on or after 1 June 2027.
- Weakest measure decides. The overall rating is the lowest of the three, not an average.
- Green: no RAG-based limit on CAS.
- Amber: CAS capped at what the university used before, until it returns to Green, plus engagement meetings with UKVI.
- Red: CAS cut by at least 10% of previous use with no upper limit, an action plan of at least 12 months and a final warning.
- No public list. Ratings will be published together once every sponsor has one; HOA expects not before summer 2027.
- Nepal. 4.6% of Nepali student visa applications were refused in the year to June 2026, close to the 5% Red line, so universities now look harder at Nepali applications (The PIE News, Home Office data).
What Is the UK RAG System?
The UK RAG system is a Red, Amber or Green rating that UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) gives each licensed student sponsor, including every university that recruits international students. It was announced in the May 2025 immigration White Paper, which said the government would “raise the minimum pass requirement of each BCA metric by five percentage points” and “implement a new Red-Amber-Green banding system” (Home Office White Paper). It took effect on 1 June 2026.
RAG does not replace the Basic Compliance Assessment. It sits inside it: UKVI still runs the yearly BCA, and the RAG rating comes out of the same three measures. What changed is that the pass marks went up, and each sponsor now gets a rating with automatic consequences for its CAS allocation (Home Office guidance).
BCA pass marks and RAG thresholds compared
| Measure | BCA before 1 June 2026 | Green | Amber | Red |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Visa refusal rate | Below 10% | Below 4% | 4% to under 5% | 5% or more |
| Enrolment rate | At least 90% | At least 96% | 95% to under 96% | Below 95% |
| Course completion rate | At least 85% | At least 92% | 90% to under 92% | Below 90% |
| CAS consequence | Action only after a failed BCA | No RAG limit | Capped at previous use | Cut by at least 10%, no upper limit |
Completion comes later. The completion rate is not used in the first ratings. It counts in assessments on or after 1 June 2027; until 31 May 2027 the BCA completion pass mark stays at 85%, then rises to 90% (Home Office guidance).
The weakest measure sets the rating
A university’s overall rating is the rating of its lowest measure, not an average. Two strong measures do not cancel out one weak one.
Overall rating: Amber. The university cannot be granted more CAS than it used before until both measures are Green.
Wonkhe called Amber “a ledge” rather than a buffer zone: the band is narrow, and the CAS consequence arrives as soon as one measure slips into it (Wonkhe, March 2026).
Green, Amber and Red: What Each Rating Means for Your CAS
This is the part people mean by the “UKVI RAG university list”. The ratings exist, but they are private: UKVI tells each university its own rating, and universities do not have to disclose it in offer letters or on their websites. The register of licensed sponsors confirms a licence, not a rating (Home Office register).
Green rating
CAS: no RAG-based limit
All three measures in the green range. The university requests CAS in the usual way. No list of Green universities exists. HOA’s green list guide sets out, as HOA’s own analysis, the signals that usually go with lower risk, such as a long compliance record and a mix of source countries. A high academic ranking alone is not one of them.
Green list UK universities: full guideAmber rating
CAS: capped at previous use until Green
One measure in the amber range is enough. UKVI will not grant the university more CAS than it used before until it is back to Green, and the university normally attends engagement meetings with UKVI (Home Office guidance). Amber is not a freeze: CAS are still issued, but if the university made more offers than it has CAS, some offer-holders may not get one. Being first to finish the deposit, documents and interview matters.
Amber list UK universities: full guideRed rating
CAS: cut by at least 10%, action plan, final warning
UKVI cuts the university’s CAS allocation by at least 10% of its previous use, with no upper limit, and requires an action plan of at least 12 months. The university is then on a final warning for its next five assessments; failing again can be treated as a serious breach and lead to licence revocation (Home Office guidance). Existing students keep their visas unless the licence itself is suspended or revoked.
Red list UK universities: full guide* Completion counts from assessments on or after 1 June 2027.
“UKVI action plan university list”: what the phrase means now
Before June 2026, a university that failed its BCA could be put on a UKVI action plan, and people searched for an “action plan university list”. UKVI never published one. Under RAG, a Red rating always comes with an action plan of at least 12 months, while Amber means a CAS cap and meetings rather than a breach (Home Office guidance). Neither group is published. Public signals that do exist are licence suspensions and revocations, such as the suspension of Bucks New University’s licence on 30 September 2026 (Times Higher Education); see HOA’s BNU guide for Nepali students.
RAG rating vs university ranking
UKVI RAG rating
- Measures visa refusals, enrolment and completion
- Set by the weakest measure
- Decides limits on CAS
- Private until every sponsor has one
Rankings (QS, THE, Guardian)
- Measure teaching, research and reputation
- Weighted average of many indicators
- No effect on CAS
- Published every year
A “RAG university ranking UK” does not exist: a rating is a compliance result, not a league table. Sector leaders quoted by Times Higher Education in October 2026 disagreed on how far the risk spreads, with some saying it reaches all types of university, including some in the Russell Group (THE, 7 Oct 2026). Check rankings for quality and compliance separately. See HOA’s graduate employability rankings.
What the RAG System Means for Students From Nepal
Each university’s refusal rate is calculated from its own applicants of every nationality. But because the Red line is now 5%, every refused applicant matters more, and refusals from higher-risk markets matter most. Nepal is one of them.
| Nationality | Issued | Refused | Withdrawn | Refusal rate | Counting withdrawals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nepal | 17,150 | 827 | 231 | 4.6% | 5.8% |
4.6% sits in the Amber range
If a university’s applicants were refused at Nepal’s national rate, that measure alone would rate it Amber. Universities with many Nepali applicants therefore watch each application closely.
One of seven “high-risk” markets
The PIE News reported on 20 October 2026 that India, Nigeria, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Ghana and Sri Lanka account for more than 70% of UK study visa refusals, with India averaging about 8% over three quarters (The PIE News).
Credibility interviews and earlier deadlines
Many universities interview applicants from these markets and close applications early. Birmingham City University lists Nepal among countries needing a credibility interview, with an 18 November 2026 deadline for January 2027 (BCU key dates). Prepare with HOA’s credibility interview questions.
Withdrawals after an interview invite
A CAS withdrawn before a visa decision is not counted as a refusal, and The PIE News found some universities now ask students to withdraw once UKVI invites them to interview (The PIE News). Go to every interview fully prepared, and never mislead on your application.
What helps you most: a genuine study plan you can explain, funds that meet the 28-day rule, honest documents and an early application. HOA’s self-reported visa success rate is 99% (internal records since 2016, not externally audited); that comes from preparation, not from knowing any university’s rating.
Asked About a Specific University? Five Checks You Can Make
People ask HOA about BPP, Greenwich, UWL, Ulster, Hertfordshire, Birmingham City and others by name. The honest answer is the same for all of them: no rating has been published for any UK university, so HOA does not label any named university Green, Amber or Red. Lists that sort universities by how many students they recruit from high-risk countries, like the one The PIE News published on 20 October 2026, measure dependence, not a rating (The PIE News). These five checks work for any university:
- Is it a licensed student sponsor? Search the Home Office register of licensed sponsors: students. If it is not listed, it cannot issue a CAS.
- Has the Home Office taken public action? Search the university’s name with “sponsor licence suspended” or “revoked”. Ratings are private; suspensions and revocations are not.
- What are its rules for Nepal? Find its international key dates page. Earlier deadlines, a credibility interview or a higher deposit for Nepal tell you how carefully it manages refusals.
- Ask about CAS in writing. Email admissions: “Has your CAS allocation for my intake been capped or reduced, and by what date must I finish every step to receive a CAS?” Keep the reply.
- Keep a second offer until your CAS is issued, and prepare your visa documents at the same time.
HOA does these checks with you for free, at the Putalisadak, New Baneshwor and Pokhara offices or on WhatsApp. For partner-specific questions, see HOA’s 153 partner universities.
Other UK Student Visa Rules That Matter in 2026–27
| Rule | Position | What it means from Nepal |
|---|---|---|
| Funds (28-day rule) | £1,171/month outside London, £1,529 in London, up to 9 months; rising to £1,203 and £1,570 from 30 November 2026 (HC 584) | Outside London: £10,539 now, £10,827 for applications from 30 November (about NPR 21.1 lakh at NPR 195 = £1). See the bank balance guide. |
| Visa fee and IHS | Visa fee £558; IHS £776 a year, £388 for a part-year of six months or less (GOV.UK) | A one-year master’s typically costs £1,722 in visa fee and IHS (£558 + £1,164). |
| Graduate visa | 2 years (3 for PhD); 18 months for Bachelor’s and Master’s graduates applying from 1 January 2027 (GOV.UK) | Depends on when you apply for the Graduate visa, not your university’s rating. See the Graduate Route guide. |
| Dependants | Only for PhD and other postgraduate research courses of 9 months or more, or full government sponsorship (Goldsmiths visa guidance) | Married taught-master’s applicants cannot bring a spouse on their Student visa. |
| Skilled Worker salary | £41,700 general threshold; £33,400 new-entrant rate (GOV.UK) | The usual next step after the Graduate visa. |
| Genuine student test | “The applicant must be a genuine student” (ST 5.1) (Appendix Student) | This is what credibility interviews test. See UKVI interview guide. |
UK RAG System Timeline
White Paper announces the RAG system
BCA pass marks to rise by five percentage points, with a Red-Amber-Green rating (Home Office).
RAG ratings begin
New pass marks apply. Each sponsor gets its rating at its own assessment; refusal and enrolment only.
Compliance guidance updated
Latest version of the Home Office student sponsor compliance guidance, used for this page (GOV.UK).
Higher funds requirement
£1,203 a month outside London and £1,570 in London for new applications (HC 584).
Graduate visa shortens to 18 months
For Bachelor’s and Master’s graduates applying from this date (GOV.UK).
Completion starts to count
Assessments from this date use completion too; the BCA completion pass mark rises from 85% to 90%.
Ratings published
All ratings appear on the register of student sponsors together, once every sponsor has one (Home Office guidance).
Unsure about a university? Ask HOA, free
153 partner universities · 5,000+ students placed since 2016 (self-reported) · offices in Putalisadak, New Baneshwor and Pokhara · UKVI-compliant guidance
Five-Step Plan for Applying to the UK From Nepal Under RAG
Shortlist, then run the five checks
Choose courses for quality first, then run the five checks on each university before you pay a deposit. HOA’s green list guide explains the lower-risk signals HOA looks for (HOA’s own analysis).
Apply early
For January 2027, some universities close Nepal applications in mid-November 2026, so apply now. For September 2027, start in late 2026; the UCAS undergraduate equal-consideration deadline is 13 January 2027 at 18:00 UK time (UCAS).
Prepare visa documents in parallel
Funds held for 28 days at a bank regulated by Nepal Rastra Bank (all 20 Class A commercial banks qualify; UKVI publishes no Nepal bank list) (GOV.UK); a No Objection Certificate from the Ministry of Education (noc.moest.gov.np, NPR 2,000, usually 1–5 working days); a TB test certificate. Full list: UK visa documents.
Prepare for the credibility interview
Know why this course, this university and the UK, how you will pay, and what you will do afterwards. Practise with HOA’s free mock interview. If you studied in English, check the MOI route, which 25+ UK universities accept and can save up to NPR 35,000 in test costs.
Keep checking until your CAS arrives
Meet every deposit and document deadline, and keep a second offer until your CAS is issued. If a university tells you its CAS position has changed, HOA helps you find an alternative, free. Read the CAS guide.
https://houseofadmissions.com/blog/ukvi-rag-system-june-2026-nepali-students/
UK RAG University List: Frequently Asked Questions
No. As of 25 October 2026, UKVI has not published a Green, Amber or Red rating for any UK university. The Home Office guidance says ratings will appear on the register of student sponsors once every sponsor has received its first rating, and all at the same time. HOA does not expect that before summer 2027. Any list you see online today is someone’s own estimate, not a UKVI publication.
Nobody can give an accurate one yet, HOA included, because no university’s rating is public. A university is told its own rating privately. HOA’s green list guide explains what a Green rating requires and which lower-risk signals HOA looks at, clearly labelled as HOA’s own analysis rather than an official list.
There is no public rating for any of them, or for any other UK university, so HOA will not guess one. You can check three things yourself: that the university is on the register of licensed student sponsors, whether the Home Office has taken any public action against its licence, and its deadlines for applicants from Nepal. You can also ask the university in writing whether its CAS allocation for your intake has been capped or reduced.
The UK RAG system is a Red, Amber or Green rating that UKVI gives each student sponsor as part of its Basic Compliance Assessment (BCA), from 1 June 2026. It is based on three measures: the visa refusal rate, the enrolment rate and the course completion rate. The lowest-rated measure sets the overall rating, not an average. The rating decides whether the sponsor faces limits on how many CAS it can issue.
Green: visa refusal below 4%, enrolment at least 96%, completion at least 92%. Amber: refusal 4% to under 5%, enrolment 95% to under 96%, completion 90% to under 92%. Red: refusal 5% or more, enrolment below 95%, or completion below 90%. Completion is not used in the first ratings; it counts from BCAs on or after 1 June 2027.
An Amber rating does not stop a university issuing CAS. UKVI will not grant it more CAS than it used before until it returns to Green, and it normally attends engagement meetings with UKVI. With a capped allocation, CAS can run out before every offer-holder gets one, so pay your deposit, upload documents and finish any interview early.
A Red-rated university must follow an action plan of at least 12 months, and UKVI cuts its CAS allocation by at least 10% of what it used before, with no upper limit. It is on a final warning for its next five assessments; a further failure can be treated as a serious breach and can lead to the sponsor licence being revoked.
Partly. “UKVI action plan university list” is an informal phrase, not an official list. Under the old rules, a university that failed its BCA could be put on an action plan. Under RAG, a Red rating always comes with an action plan of at least 12 months, while Amber means a CAS cap and meetings with UKVI. UKVI publishes neither list.
In the year to June 2026, 17,150 student visas were issued to Nepali nationals and 827 were refused, a 4.6% refusal rate (5.8% counting withdrawals), according to Home Office data analysed by The PIE News. A university’s rating uses its own applicants of all nationalities, but every refusal of a Nepali applicant counts against it. That is why universities now check Nepali applications more closely.
Because refusals count against them, many universities run credibility interviews for higher-risk markets and set earlier deadlines. Birmingham City University, for example, lists Nepal among countries that need a credibility interview, with a 18 November 2026 application deadline for January 2027. Prepare for the interview as seriously as for the visa itself.
Not directly. A rating limits how many new CAS a university can issue; it does not cancel existing students’ visas. Students are affected only if the university’s licence is suspended or revoked, as happened when Bucks New University’s licence was suspended on 30 September 2026. The Graduate visa rules do not depend on your university’s rating.
No. A RAG rating measures visa compliance only: refusals, enrolment and completion. Rankings such as QS or Times Higher Education measure teaching, research and reputation. A highly ranked university can still receive an Amber or Red rating, and sector leaders quoted by Times Higher Education in October 2026 said the risk reaches all types of university.
Check that it is on the register of licensed student sponsors; search for any Home Office action against its licence; read its deadlines and interview rules for Nepal; ask it in writing whether its CAS allocation for your intake is capped or reduced; and keep a second offer until your CAS is issued. HOA can do these checks with you, free.
No. HOA’s guidance is free at every stage, from shortlisting to visa preparation. HOA gives UKVI-compliant guidance and follows AQF-aligned practice; UKVI licenses universities as sponsors; it does not license or accredit agents. All 20+ HOA counsellors hold the British Council’s UK Agent and Counsellor Training Certification Award.
Sources
- Home Office, Student sponsor compliance guidance (updated 9 Oct 2026)
- Home Office, Register of licensed sponsors: students
- Home Office, Restoring control over the immigration system (White Paper, May 2025)
- Home Office, Immigration system statistics, year ending June 2026 (27 Aug 2026)
- The PIE News, How UK unis are staying under the 5% BCA threshold (5 Oct 2026)
- The PIE News, 70% of visa refusals for UK study visas come from seven countries (20 Oct 2026)
- Times Higher Education, More UK universities “at risk” over soaring visa refusal rates (7 Oct 2026)
- Wonkhe, Amber isn’t a buffer zone in the new international RAG system (16 Mar 2026)
- ICEF Monitor, Narrowing bands of compliance (19 Mar 2026)
- Birmingham City University, international key dates (January 2027)
- GOV.UK, Student visa: money you need
- Home Office, Explanatory memorandum to HC 584 (3 Sep 2026)
- GOV.UK, Immigration health surcharge: how much you pay
- GOV.UK, Student visa
- GOV.UK, Graduate visa
- GOV.UK, Skilled Worker visa: your job and salary
- Immigration Rules, Appendix Student
- UCAS, Dates and deadlines for university applications
- Goldsmiths, University of London, Dependants on a Student visa
The limit on everything here. UKVI has not published any university’s rating, so no consultancy, HOA included, can tell you a named university’s current rating. Thresholds and consequences on this page come from the Home Office guidance; anything about a specific university’s risk is inference, and where a university tells you its rating, that is the university reporting it, not UKVI. HOA figures (5,000+ students placed, 99% visa success) are self-reported from internal records since 2016 and not externally audited. Fees, thresholds and dates were checked on 25 Oct 2026.