Distance degrees used to bypass visa barriers for Africans

Universities in Scotland recruiting students from Africa are offering a variety of distance degree programmes as one way of increasing their students from the continent, given increased restrictions on international students interested in studying in the United Kingdom.

The institutions are advising African students to enrol in online programmes as one way of beating the requirements on a dependants’ study visa in situations in which they are denied the document, noting that the option is also particularly good for women, working students and those with young families. The option will guarantee them a quality degree from a reputable university and at a lower cost.

This is an outcome of a recent meeting when a consortium of Scottish universities hosted an alumni reception in Nairobi, Kenya.

While the universities believe the Africans will miss the experience of studying in Scotland and they would prefer them to study in the territory – a popular destination in the UK – they say the students will still have a quality degree upon successful completion of their distance study.

Of the 2,800 African students who enrol in UK universities each year, at least 200 opt for a university in Scotland, according to representatives of Scottish universities exhibiting in Nairobi.

The option comes in the wake of rules preventing foreign students on sponsored study visas from bringing family members with them to the UK.

The policy came into effect on 1 January 2024, according to UK immigration law firm Smith Stone Walters’ website. “The only exception is for those studying postgraduate research courses or courses with government-funded scholarships,” the firm said.

Visa refusals keep rising

Another factor is the rising number of study visa rejections. According to Smith Stone Walters, the latest UK visa figures show a decline of 13% in sponsored study visas in the year ending June 2024 compared to the year before.

The distance-learning courses Scottish universities offer are better suited to people in full-time employment, with family commitments, or with a lack of financial resources to study on-campus, said Jenny Hyde, senior international recruitment manager at Abertay University, in Dundee, Scotland. Abertay offers 11 online masters degree programmes that students could take advantage of.

Students who did not get their visas in time for the September 2024 intake, for example, can always consider a January 2025 intake, before considering the distance learning option, she added.

While Abertay has “great courses” in computer science, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, fintech, data science and engineering as well as a masters in business administration offered online, the quality was on a par with courses offered face-to-face, she explained.

“Also, distance learning courses still go through the same rigorous quality assurance processes as on-campus courses, so students will graduate with a globally recognised UK masters,” she told University World News during the annual alumni reception hosted by a consortium of Scottish universities in Nairobi, Kenya, on 13 September 2024.

Universities have their eyes on Africa

Africa and Kenya remain an important market for UK universities, with 2,800 students studying on-campus in the UK and a further 2,440 students enrolled in distance and transnational education programmes. At least 200 of them opt for a university in Scotland, Hyde said, adding that, “African nations are showing growth and the potential to emerge as significant markets for Abertay University.”

Nine out of the 19 universities in Scotland attended the event. These were the University of Dundee, the University of Edinburgh, the University of Glasgow, the University of Stirling, Glasgow Caledonian University, Edinburgh Napier University, the University of the West of Scotland, the University of Abertay, and the University of Strathclyde.

The option to enrol in an online degree programme depends on the programme a student is interested in. It is a “gateway” to studying in Scotland at higher levels of education, said Jonathan Fortune, international officer of global engagement and recruitment at the University of Dundee.

“When you choose distance study [as the mode] for your degree programme, you miss the chance to experience the culture in Scotland, but you will get your degree, which is good enough,” Fortune said.

Distance learning has advantages

While physically studying in Scotland offers a “different experience”, and was not comparable to distance learning, students who, for different reasons – including visa denial – cannot study in the country, have a variety of degree programmes to choose from, said David Lennon, an alumnus of Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh.

“Physically studying in a given place comes with its own advantages. When you study a distance-learning option, you also miss the opportunity for networking. You feel you belong to a place because of studying there,” he told University World News.

One such student is Jackline Maingi who is studying towards a master of science degree in international development at the University of Edinburgh while still working in Nairobi. She said she can combine education, work and family, courtesy of the distance programme.

As a beneficiary of a Commonwealth scholarship, Maingi said the programme costs about half of the £12,000-£13,000 (about US$16,000-US$17,382) it would have cost had she studied in Scotland.

“As an African student who is working and has a young family, the online degree option is the solution to acquiring a degree from a reputable university,” she said. With advancements in information and communication technology (ICT), she said, studying online is easier and more convenient, as it is also for employers who support their staff to acquire higher qualifications in world-class universities.

Online learning not new

The older generation has benefited from the Scottish distance degrees, Agnes Waudo said. She is a 2009 alumna from the University of Dundee, where she obtained a Bachelor of Nursing degree, and a former chief nursing officer in Kenya. She received her learning material via e-mail while working as a senior nurse. Lecturers travelled to Kenya for examinations. When she graduated, it put her on the road to becoming “Kenya’s most senior nurse”, Waudo said.

“No universities were offering a degree in nursing at the time, but the online programme enabled me to study while still working, and several other Kenyans followed suit,” she added.

According to Smith Stone Walters, 432,225 UK study visas were granted in the year ending June 2024, 13% fewer than in 2023. In the same period, 94,253 visas were issued to student dependants, 39% fewer than the previous year. Nigeria, the UK’s third-largest student source market and Africa’s leader in international students, saw one in eight applications rejected in the last quarter of 2023 compared with only one in 31 applications rejected in the last quarter of 2022.

It is not only for the UK that African students are finding it hard to obtain visas. In the Schengen countries, US$906 million were generated by visa applications for the 29 member countries, US$145 million from rejected visa applications, The Conversation reported on 19 September 2024. Of this amount, US$61 million came from African applicants.

African applicants prone to refusals

The publication added that a 2022 report by the British migration consultancy Henley & Partners indicated that African countries accounted for seven of the top 10 countries with the highest Schengen visa rejection rates in 2022. An analysis of the EU’s data on visa applications from 2009-23 showed a “dramatic increase in the rate of rejection”.

According to The Conversation: “In 2014, 18% of African visa applications were rejected, while the global rejection rate was 5%. By 2022, the rejection rate for African applicants had risen to 30%, and the global rate increased to 17.5%.”