Every November, the UK Home Office publishes a fresh list of approved global universities for the High Potential Individual visa. For 2025–26, 80 universities from 22 countries made the cut. If your institution is on the list and you graduated within the last 5 years, you can apply for the HPI visa without a job offer.
This guide explains how the list is constructed, which universities qualify, and — crucially — how to work out which year's list applies to your graduation.
How the Home Office selects universities
The approved list is based on a university's performance across four international ranking systems. A university must appear in the top tier of at least two to qualify:
- QS World University Rankings
- Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings
- Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU / Shanghai Ranking)
- Financial Times Global MBA Ranking
UK universities are explicitly excluded — the visa is designed for internationally-trained graduates who want to come to the UK, not those who already studied there (the Graduate visa covers UK graduates).
Which year's list applies to you?
This is the most commonly misunderstood element of HPI eligibility. The list that matters is the one that was in effect when your degree was awarded — not the current list.
- If you graduated November or December 2022 → 2022–23 list applies
- If you graduated January–October 2023 → 2022–23 list applies
- If you graduated November or December 2023 → 2023–24 list applies
- If you graduated January–October 2024 → 2023–24 list applies
- If you graduated November or December 2024 → 2024–25 list applies
- If you graduated January–October 2025 → 2024–25 list applies
- If you graduated November or December 2025 → 2025–26 list applies
Our free eligibility checker automatically identifies which year's list applies to your graduation date and checks your university against it — no manual cross-referencing needed.
Countries and regions represented (2025–26)
The 2025–26 list includes universities from:
| Region | Notable universities |
|---|---|
| United States (~28 universities) | MIT, Stanford, Harvard, Caltech, Columbia, Yale, Princeton, Duke, Cornell, Northwestern, NYU, and more |
| China (mainland) | Peking University, Tsinghua University, Fudan, Shanghai Jiao Tong, Zhejiang, Nanjing |
| Germany | Technical University of Munich (TUM), LMU Munich, Heidelberg, Mannheim |
| Australia | ANU, University of Melbourne, Monash, UNSW, University of Sydney, University of Queensland |
| Singapore | NUS, NTU Singapore |
| Hong Kong | HKU, CUHK, HKUST, Hong Kong Polytechnic, City University of Hong Kong |
| Switzerland | ETH Zurich, EPFL, University of Zurich |
| France | Paris-Saclay University, PSL University, École Polytechnique, Institut Polytechnique de Paris, Sorbonne |
| Netherlands | Delft University of Technology, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Leiden, University of Amsterdam, University of Groningen |
| Canada | McGill, University of Toronto, University of British Columbia, McMaster |
| Sweden / Scandinavia | KTH, Lund, Karolinska Institute |
| South Korea | KAIST, Seoul National University, Yonsei |
| Japan | University of Tokyo, Kyoto University |
| Taiwan | National Taiwan University |
Universities that rotate on and off the list
Each November, the Home Office updates the list. Universities can be added or removed as their global ranking positions change. In recent cycles, some European and Asian institutions have rotated out while others have been added.
This matters because: if your university was on the 2022 list but dropped off in 2023, and you graduated in May 2022, the 2021–22 list is what counts — and your university may still qualify.
Our checker holds all six years of university lists (2020–2025) and cross-references your graduation date automatically. If your university was on ANY list that could apply to your graduation date, we'll find it.
My university isn't on the list — what now?
If your university is genuinely not on the approved list for your graduation year, you cannot apply for the HPI visa. There is no appeal mechanism or alternative route within the HPI framework.
However, you may still have strong options:
- Global Talent visa — no university requirement; assessed on your career track record instead
- Skilled Worker visa — requires a UK job offer from a licensed employer sponsor
- Graduate visa — available if you completed a degree at a UK university
- Youth Mobility Scheme — if you're from an eligible country and aged 18–30
Check your university against all six years of HPI lists
Check your eligibility — freeFrequently asked questions
Are there any UK universities on the HPI list?
No. UK universities are explicitly excluded from the HPI approved list. The visa is designed for overseas-trained graduates. UK graduates should look at the Graduate visa instead.
My university was added to the list after I graduated. Can I still use it?
No — what matters is the list in effect when your degree was awarded. If your university wasn't on the list at that time, a later addition doesn't help your HPI application.
The list has 80 universities for 2025–26 but I've seen other numbers quoted. Why?
The exact number shifts slightly each year as universities are added and removed. Some sources quote slightly different counts depending on how they handle universities with multiple campuses listed separately.