African students face disproportionately high US visa denials

In 2015, the highest rates of F-1 visa denials were concentrated in Africa (excluding South Africa), South Asia, and parts of the Middle East. By 2022, these denials had spread globally, sparing only a few countries, including Australia, China, Brazil, South Africa, and some European nations. 

The report highlights that nearly 60% of students from African countries who applied to study at U.S. universities last year were denied F-1 visas by the State Department. This represents the highest denial rate among all regions. Despite this, the State Department maintains that it has granted more visas to African students in aggregate than ever before.

Countries that experienced a rise in denial rates by 10 percentage points or more in 2023 were primarily located in Africa and Asia. Notably, Southern Africa recorded a much lower denial rate of 19%, compared to the continent’s overall rate of 57%. Since 2015, when the overall denial rate stood at 43%, the rates for students from most African countries - excluding South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, and Lesotho - have steadily increased.

A State Department spokesperson told University World News that 2023 marked the highest number of student and exchange visas issued to African countries in its history, a 61% increase compared to pre-pandemic 2019 levels.

“Our embassies and consulates in Nigeria, Ghana, Zimbabwe, Uganda, Eswatini, Côte d’Ivoire, and Madagascar all issued more student visas in 2023 than in any year in the past two decades,” the spokesperson stated.