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🇸🇱 Sierra Leonean citizens · 🇳🇿 New Zealand · Student

New Zealand student visa success rate for Sierra Leonean citizens

In the UK — the only government that publishes visa outcomes broken down by both nationality and visa type — 81.9% of Sierra Leonean student visa applications were approved, down from 88.1% a year earlier, across 155 decisions in the year to March 2026. For Sierra Leonean student applicants that is the only approval rate on record anywhere. New Zealand does not publish student decisions by nationality, so no New Zealand-specific rate exists for Sierra Leone — and any site quoting one is estimating. Where Sierra Leone does have published rates, they run at 29.4% on US visitor visas in FY2025 — a wider picture of how Sierra Leonean applications are treated, though neither is a student-visa figure. What New Zealand does document is the decision itself: officers assess whether you are a genuine student who can fund and complete the course, and the biggest single lever is admission and funding. The estimator below weighs your own finances, ties, travel history and refusal record instead.

Last reviewed July 2026 per our editorial standards.

How likely is a student visa to New Zealand for Sierra Leonean citizens? Officers focus on whether you are a genuine student who can fund and complete the course. A typical applicant sees roughly 48%, and the biggest single lever is admission and funding. Published approval rates for Sierra Leone run at 29.4% on US visitor visas in FY2025.

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Where Sierra Leone sits in the official data

Two governments publish visa outcomes broken down by country. Neither predicts an individual decision, but together they show how Sierra Leonean applicants fare relative to everyone else, and which of the destinations we cover currently refuses the fewest applications from Sierra Leone.

UK student visas — year to March 2026

The UK is the only government that publishes outcomes by nationality and visa type, so it is the one place a student-visa figure for Sierra Leone actually exists. 18.1% of Sierra Leonean student applications were refused across 155 decisions , against 11.9% the year before. Different country, different rules — a reference point, not your odds here.

US visitor visas — FY2025

A 70.6% adjusted refusal rate places Sierra Leone 188th of 199 nationalities the State Department publishes — a lower refusal rate than 6% of them. The median nationality sits at 31.8%, so Sierra Leone is 38.8 points above it.

The European Commission's Schengen table carries no row for Sierra Leone at any volume, so the US and UK figures above are the only two nationality-level rates published for Sierra Leonean applicants anywhere. They run 71% refused in the US against 18% refused in the UK — 53 points apart — a reminder that these are two different visas assessed under two different systems, not one "how strict is this country" score.

Sources: U.S. Department of State — Adjusted Refusal Rate, B-Visas Only, by Nationality and European Commission — Schengen short-stay visa statistics for consulates . Schengen figures are grouped by the country an application was lodged in, not by passport.

What actually moves the needle

Admission to an accredited institution

This is the heart of student decisions for New Zealand. Make it concrete and documented rather than assumed.

Clearly documented funding for tuition and living costs

Officers weigh this alongside everything else — gather clear evidence before you apply.

A credible study plan that fits your background

Officers weigh this alongside everything else — gather clear evidence before you apply.

Context for Sierra Leone applicants

Published approval rates for Sierra Leone run at 29.4% on US visitor visas in FY2025. Your personal profile matters far more than any nationality-level pattern, so focus on the levers above.

Avoid the common pitfall

The most frequent reason this route fails is unclear funding or a course that does not fit your profile. Address it directly and you remove the biggest doubt.

Frequently asked questions

Is there an official New Zealand student visa success rate for Sierra Leonean citizens?

Not one we currently carry. We only print a rate when we hold the publisher's own figure for this nationality and this visa category, and we do not hold one for New Zealand student visas. The figure shown on this page is a modelled estimate built from published route-level data and your answers — we label it as such rather than presenting it as a government statistic. What you can act on is the documented requirement set below, which is what the decision actually turns on.

What matters most for a New Zealand student visa?

Officers focus on whether you are a genuine student who can fund and complete the course. In practice the single biggest lever is admission and funding, so make that part of your application as strong and well-documented as possible.

Does a previous visa refusal affect my chances?

Yes. A prior refusal weighs on new applications until its underlying reason is addressed. Find out exactly why you were refused, fix what caused it, and clearly show what is different this time.

Is this a guarantee of approval?

No. GetVisaOdds is an educational planning tool, not legal advice and not a guarantee. Only a consular or immigration officer can decide your application. We show approximate odds and the reasons behind them so you can prepare better.

Is my information private?

Completely. The estimate runs entirely in your browser. Your answers are never sent to a server or stored — there is no sign-up and nothing to leak.

Explore related visa odds

New Zealand student visa odds for other nationalities

Helpful guides

How to prove funding for a student visa → How to read visa approval and refusal rates → How to prove strong ties to your home country → How to document your finances for a visa → What to do after a visa refusal →