UKVI ratings, live since 1 June 2026
Amber List UK Universities 2026: What a UKVI Amber Rating Means
Amber is the most misunderstood of the three ratings. It does not stop a university issuing CAS, and it is not worse than red. Here is what it actually does, from the Home Office’s own guidance.
HOA’s own explanation of published Home Office rules. It is not a UKVI list, it names no university as green, amber or red, and it is admissions guidance, not immigration advice.
The three bands, from the Home Office’s own table
Student sponsor compliance, paragraph 2.28. A university’s rating is its worst metric, not an average.
| Metric | Green | Amber | Red |
|---|---|---|---|
| Visa refusal rate | <4% | 4% to <5% | 5% or more |
| Enrolment rate | 96% or more | 95% to <96% | <95% |
| Course completion rate* | 92% or more | 90% to <92% | <90% |
*Completion is not part of a university’s first rating. It counts from assessments made on or after 1 June 2027. Checked 14 October 2026.
Is There an Official Amber List of UK Universities?
No. UKVI has not published any university’s rating, and no one outside UKVI and each university knows which are amber. A university is amber if its worst metric falls in the amber band: a visa refusal rate of 4% to under 5%, or an enrolment rate of 95% to under 96%. From assessments made on or after 1 June 2027, a completion rate of 90% to under 92% also counts.
Amber does not mean zero CAS. The Home Office’s rule is that UKVI will not grant more CAS than the university used before, until it is rated green again. Its senior leaders are normally called to engagement meetings with UKVI. An amber rating on its own is not a breach of the university’s duties, and it is not worse than red. This page names no university as amber.
The facts at a glance
Checked against the sources cited on 14 October 2026.
- Amber if
- Refusal rate 4% to under 5%, or enrolment 95% to under 96%, and no metric red. Completion 90% to under 92% counts from assessments made on or after 1 June 2027.Home Office, Student sponsor compliance, para 2.28
- CAS
- UKVI will not grant more CAS than the university previously used, until it is rated green.Student sponsor compliance, para 2.65
- Meetings
- Formal engagement meetings, normally arranged within 30 calendar days of the final outcome notice, attended by the head of the institution.Student sponsor compliance, paras 2.66 to 2.68
- Not a breach
- An amber rating alone is not a breach. An action plan follows only if UKVI finds recruitment problems that amount to one.Student sponsor compliance, paras 4.14 and 2.70
- A withdrawn CAS
- A CAS the university withdraws before the visa decision is left out of its refusal rate.Student sponsor compliance, para 2.19
- Refusing to engage
- A university that fails to engage with the meetings commits a serious breach, which starts the revocation process.Student sponsor compliance, para 2.69
- When ratings go public
- Only after every sponsor has had its first rating; all first ratings are then uploaded together.Student sponsor compliance, para 2.87
- Your visa
- A rating applies to the university. GOV.UK’s guidance for students covers a suspended or revoked licence, not a rating.GOV.UK, If your education provider loses its licence
Is Amber Worse Than Red?
No. A claim that amber means “zero CAS”, and is therefore worse than red, has been widely repeated online. The Home Office’s guidance says something different. Side by side:
Amber and red compared, from the Home Office’s Student sponsor compliance guidance (paragraph numbers in brackets), checked 14 October 2026.
| Amber | Red | |
|---|---|---|
| CAS | No more than the university used before, until green (2.65) | Cut by at least 10% of last year’s use, no maximum (2.45) |
| Action plan | Only if a breach is found; can be under 12 months (2.70) | Always, at least 12 months (2.44) |
| Final warning | No | Yes, for the next five assessments (2.46) |
| A breach in itself? | No (4.14) | Two red metrics, or a second red, is a serious breach (2.51, 2.52) |
| Meetings with UKVI | Yes, with the head of the institution (2.66, 2.67) | Action plan and monitoring |
What Puts a University in Amber?
Amber is a narrow band, one percentage point wide on each metric. A university lands there when its worst metric is amber and none is red.
The amber band for each metric, from the Home Office’s Student sponsor compliance guidance (para 2.28), checked 14 October 2026.
| Metric | Amber if | Measured over |
|---|---|---|
| Visa refusal rate | 4% or more, but under 5% | CAS used in the 12 months before the assessment |
| Enrolment rate | 95% or more, but under 96% | Students granted visas in the same 12 months |
| Course completion rate | 90% or more, but under 92%, from 1 June 2027 assessments | Students due to finish in the 12 months. Not part of the first rating |
A refusal rate of 4.5% means roughly one refused visa for every 22 CAS used. Every refusal counts, from any country, which is why an amber university has a strong reason to check applicants carefully before it issues a CAS.
Amber, the 5% Line and Students From Nepal
Amber starts at a 4% refusal rate and ends just under 5%. In the year to June 2026 the refusal rate for UK study visas was 4.9% across all countries and 4.6% for Nepali applicants (Home Office figures, compiled by The PIE News). Those are national averages, not ratings, but they show how many universities are working inside amber’s one-point range, and why CAS checks have tightened.
Two rules shape what happens next. An amber university cannot grow its CAS numbers until it is green, so each place matters more. And a CAS the university withdraws before the visa decision is not counted in its refusal rate (para 2.19), so some universities now act when an applicant is invited to a credibility interview. In practice, expect more document checks before a CAS is issued, and prepare for the interview early. See the full figures and what to do.
What Happens When a University Is Rated Amber?
- The university is told, and can challenge the data. It has 20 working days to make representations.Paras 2.30 to 2.36
- Its CAS stop growing. UKVI will not grant more CAS than it used before, until it is green again.Para 2.65
- Engagement meetings with UKVI. UKVI normally makes contact within 30 calendar days. The head of the institution, the Authorising Officer and the Key Contact attend, with the heads of international admissions or visa compliance where those posts exist.Paras 2.66 to 2.68
- Possibly an action plan. Only if UKVI finds recruitment problems that amount to a breach, and it can run for under 12 months.Para 2.70
- A way back. A green rating at the next assessment lifts the limit. A university with fewer than 100 students in a metric may get a discretionary assessment, which can move amber to green but never to red.Paras 2.74 to 2.81
The one hard edge: a university that fails to engage with the meetings commits a serious breach, and that starts the revocation process (para 2.69).
What an Amber Rating Means for You
The practical effect is on CAS supply. A university that cannot grow its CAS numbers may fill its places sooner, set earlier CAS deadlines, or ask for more evidence before it issues one. None of that affects a visa you already hold.
What an amber rating can mean at each stage, and what to do. Based on the Home Office’s rules for sponsors.
| Where you are | What can happen | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Offer, no deposit paid | CAS places may fill earlier than usual | Ask for the CAS deadline for your intake in writing, and apply early |
| Deposit paid, waiting for a CAS | More checks before a CAS, and no guarantee once places run out | Send documents promptly. Check the refund terms for “CAS not issued” |
| CAS issued or visa applied | Nothing changes because of the rating | Make sure your application is complete |
| Studying in the UK | Nothing changes because of the rating | Keep attending and keep your visa conditions |
Your deposit. Whatever the rating, a deposit is governed by the university’s own refund policy, not by UKVI. Before paying, find what it says about a refused visa, a CAS that is not issued, and a withdrawal, and pay no more than you must until the CAS is in hand. The 3% education tax a Nepali bank deducts on an outward tuition transfer is a Nepali tax and is not part of any university refund.
When Will UKVI Publish Amber Ratings?
Not yet. Each university is rated at its own Basic Compliance Assessment, and the Home Office’s guidance says no individual rating will be published until every sponsor has had its first one; all will then be uploaded together, and each stays on the register until the next assessment. With assessments falling due across the year from 1 June 2026, HOA does not expect a public list before summer 2027.
An amber rating is not a suspension, and it is not public in the way a suspension is. When the Home Office suspended Buckinghamshire New University’s licence on 30 September 2026, it published a notice the same day and removed the university from the register. See how that case is unfolding.
Work Out a Rating From the Three Rates
Enter the three rates to see which band the Home Office’s table gives. It shows how the rules work. It cannot look up a real university: no university’s rates or rating are public.
Bands from Student sponsor compliance, paragraph 2.28; the worst metric decides (2.29); completion is not part of the first rating (2.88). Universities with fewer than 100 students in a metric may be moved up by a discretionary assessment (2.74).
How to Protect Your Place and Your Deposit
You cannot see a rating yet, but you can act as though CAS places are limited. Six steps.
-
Check the register and GOV.UK notices
Confirm the university is on the register of licensed sponsors: students, and search GOV.UK for any suspension or revocation notice.
-
Ask for the CAS deadline in writing
Ask the university for the last date it will issue a CAS for your intake, whether places are limited this year, and what it does if you are invited to a credibility interview.
-
Apply early
If CAS numbers are capped, earlier complete applications are the ones that get them.
-
Read the deposit refund terms
Know what happens if your visa is refused, if no CAS is issued, or if you withdraw, before you pay.
-
Get your documents ready before the CAS
Have the 28-day bank balance, academic documents and NOC ready, so nothing delays the CAS once it is offered.
-
Keep a second offer
A second offer is the cheapest insurance against a CAS that does not come.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. UKVI has not published any rating. First ratings will be uploaded together only after every sponsor has received one, and HOA does not expect that before summer 2027. Any named amber list today is unofficial.
The university’s worst metric is in the amber band: a visa refusal rate of 4% to under 5%, or an enrolment rate of 95% to under 96%. UKVI will not grant it more CAS than it used before until it is green again, and its senior leaders meet UKVI.
Yes. Amber limits growth, not issuing: UKVI will not grant more CAS than the university previously used, until it is green. Places may fill sooner, so apply early and ask for the CAS deadline.
No. A red university has its CAS cut by at least 10%, an action plan of at least 12 months, and a final warning for five assessments. An amber university keeps its previous CAS level, and amber is not a breach in itself.
No one outside UKVI and each university knows. Ratings are sent privately in a Basic Compliance Assessment Outcome Notice and will be published together once every sponsor has had its first one. Until then, check that a university is on the register of licensed sponsors and plan as if CAS places are limited.
An informal name for the amber rule. UKVI will not grant an amber university more CAS than it used before, until it is rated green again. The university can still issue CAS up to that level; it cannot grow.
Yes, up to the level they used before. Places may fill sooner and CAS deadlines may be earlier, so apply early, have your documents ready, and ask the university for its CAS deadline in writing.
Countries are not rated; universities are. For comparison only, Nepal’s refusal rate for UK study visas was 4.6% in the year to June 2026, which would fall in the amber range of 4% to under 5% if it were a university’s rate.
The head of the institution (for example the Vice-Chancellor), the Authorising Officer and the Key Contact, plus the heads of international admissions or visa compliance where those posts exist. UKVI normally makes contact within 30 calendar days.
No. A rating applies to the university’s licence. It does not cancel a visa or a CAS already issued.
Yes, at its next assessment. A university with fewer than 100 students in a metric may also be moved from amber to green by a discretionary assessment.
Not for being amber. It would happen only through a red rating and the steps that follow, a serious breach such as refusing to engage with UKVI’s meetings, or other compliance action.
A deposit is covered by the university’s refund policy, not by the rating. Read what it says about a refused visa and a CAS that is not issued before you pay.
The Home Office left completion out of the first rating. It counts from assessments made on or after 1 June 2027, with the amber band at 90% to under 92%.
No. Ratings are sent privately to each university until the first list is published. HOA checks the public record and each student’s own application, and tells students to plan as if CAS places are limited.
The UKVI RAG system explainer covers all three bands; the red and green pages cover the other two.
The UKVI Rating Guides
Each guide answers one question. Start with the explainer if the ratings are new to you.
- UKVI RAG system explainedHow the Green, Amber and Red ratings work
- Green list UK universitiesWhat a green rating means for you
- Amber list UK universitiesWhat an amber rating means for you
- Red list UK universitiesWhat a red rating means for you
- BNU licence suspensionA live case, tracked daily
- UK universities for Nepali studentsFees, entry and locations
Key Terms
- RAG rating
- The Red, Amber or Green rating UKVI gives each student sponsor at its Basic Compliance Assessment, in force since 1 June 2026.
- Amber rating
- A sponsor whose worst metric is amber. UKVI will not grant it more CAS than it previously used until it is green.
- Basic Compliance Assessment (BCA)
- UKVI’s yearly check of a sponsor’s visa refusal, enrolment and completion rates.
- Engagement meeting
- A formal meeting UKVI holds with an amber-rated sponsor’s senior leaders. Failing to engage is a serious breach.
- Discretionary assessment
- A review available where fewer than 100 students were counted in a metric. It can move amber to green.
- CAS
- Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies: the reference a licensed sponsor issues so a student can apply for a visa.
Sources
Every rule and figure on this page was checked against these sources on 14 October 2026. If GOV.UK and this page ever disagree, GOV.UK is right.
- Home Office, Student sponsor compliance (updated 1 June 2026)
- Home Office, Student sponsor guidance: all documents
- Home Office, Register of licensed sponsors: students
- GOV.UK, Students: if your education provider loses its sponsor licence
- Home Office, Buckinghamshire New University: Student sponsor licence suspension
- Home Office, Immigration system statistics, year ending June 2026
- The PIE News, In focus: how UK unis are staying under the 5% BCA threshold (5 October 2026)
- UKCISA, Tightened BCA metrics and new RAG rating now live
- Mills & Reeve, Tighter UKVI compliance requirements for HE providers
About This Guide
Who wrote it. House of Admissions (HOA), a UK-only education consultancy founded in 2016, with offices in Kathmandu and Pokhara. All 20+ HOA counsellors hold the British Council’s UK counsellor certification, and HOA’s guidance is free to students.
What it is based on. The Home Office’s own guidance and announcements. HOA has no access to any university’s compliance data or rating, and this page does not guess at them.
Who checked it. Reviewed by Rahul Chhetri, Director. Every rule and figure was checked against the sources above on , and each one links to its source.
What it is not. Admissions guidance, not immigration advice. For advice on your own case, speak to a solicitor or an adviser regulated by the Immigration Advice Authority. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.
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