King’s College London (KCL) is one of several British universities to lower entry requirements for undergraduates, following a drop in international students.
According to The Times, universities are accepting students who fail to meet the entry requirements after a 10% drop in international students. The Home Office reported that study-sponsored student visa applications had fallen by 33% between January and April 2026.
Universities with the highest capacity of international students are likely to suffer. In February 2026, KCL enrolled 20,131 (45.6%) students from overseas, accumulating £414.5m in revenue in 2024/25.
Undergraduate courses accepting lower grades include Politics – typically requiring A*AA – now accepting grades as low as BBB.
The decline in international applicants has been attributed to tightened visa rules, Brexit, a weak job market, increased competition between universities overseas and accelerating international fees. Tuition fees for British universities are set to increase from September, with home students required to pay £9,790 compared with up to £70,000 for international students.
A spokesperson for KCL said:
“King’s maintains very high academic standards and we admit students who have potential to thrive in their chosen courses. We assess applications holistically and for those that narrowly miss their offer conditions will often be considered at confirmation.
We may offer contextual offers up to two grades below those advertised for example for those who have faced significant barriers to their education, as part of widening participation, or if applicants have a degree qualification which supersedes their A-Level qualifications. Our aim is to educate excellent students from the UK and around the world, while ensuring that we can offer opportunities to qualified and ambitious students from a range of backgrounds.”
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