Nigerians preparing for academic International English Language Testing System (IELTS) examinations will be required to pay N107,500, effective from September 2023, as revealed by the British Council.
The United Kingdom mandates individuals from various countries, aiming to pursue work or study opportunities in the UK, to take the IELTS.
Presently, the cost of the test in Nigeria ranges between N80,000 and N90,000, which is nearly three times the nation’s minimum wage of N30,000, The Punch reports.
The British Council justified the fee hike as necessary to maintain the high standards of the testing experience, stating, “Dear valued Test Taker, We would like to inform you that effective from 1 September 2023, there will be a price increase for IELTS tests offered by the British Council.
The new prices will be NGN 107,500 for IELTS Academic and IELTS General Training, NGN 116,000 for UK Visas and Immigration and NGN 104,000 for Life Skills.”
The council emphasized that these changes are vital for sustaining the exceptional quality of the testing process.
Nigeria’s considerable interest in the UK for educational opportunities and a better quality of life is evident, as seen through growing enrollment figures.
In the 2020-21 academic year, 21,305 Nigerian students were enrolled in UK universities, signifying an approximately 64% increase from the previous year.
As of September 2021, only two countries, China and India, surpassed Nigeria in terms of sending students to the UK. Enrollments from Nigeria experienced a notable surge, from 12,820 in 2016-17 to 21,305 in 2020-21 and further to 44,195 in 2021-22.
Notably, among all nationalities, Nigerian students demonstrated the most significant relative increase in sponsored study visa grants.
The Home Office of the UK revealed a record high of 65,929 sponsored study visa grants to Nigerian students in a span that saw a nearly 700% increase from 2019.
Additionally, data from the Home Office disclosed that 66,796 dependant visas were issued to family members of Nigerian students who received study visas between March 2022 and March 2023.