The students struggled to pay tuition fees due to a severe currency crisis in Nigeria, exacerbated by the university changing payment plans from seven instalments to three.
The financial turmoil left many students dependent on a local food charity, which reported that 75% of its clients are now Nigerian students. The students’ failure to pay their fees led the university to withdraw sponsorship and report them to the Home Office, resulting in orders for the students to leave the UK.
A spokesman for Teesside University stated, “Failure to pay is a breach of visa sponsorship requirements, and we had no choice but to alert the Home Office.” However, in response to the backlash, the university has re-enrolled some of the affected students and established an international relief fund to assist those needing to return to Nigeria.
The relief fund aims to cover unexpected travel costs for students who must go back to their home country. The university has also offered options for these students to complete their studies in Nigeria or return to the UK at a later date.
Despite these measures, some students remain dissatisfied. One unnamed student expressed distrust, saying, “I was asked to return home, pay the remaining balance, and apply to return later, but I don’t trust them now. This seems like a way to escape responsibility, and I fear they may not let me come back.”
The student highlighted the financial and emotional toll of the situation, adding, “I’ve already spent so much coming here, and now they want me to go back without any certification for my achievements. The whole aim was to study; we haven’t committed any crime. There’s been no apology for the stress and trauma the university has put us through.”
As many as 60 Nigerian students had urged the university to provide more support, and some are now lodging legal appeals against the decision to return them to Nigeria.
