Mr Justice Irwin at the High Court said the university had an arguable case relating to the UK Border Agency's decision to revoke its licence to sponsor students from outside the European Economic Area.

However, he refused to grant an injunction suspending the revocation pending the outcome of the review – as the balance of convenience favoured the matter being resolved before fresh students were invited to commit themselves to study. The judge did make temporary orders protecting the position of those students in the UK with full proper immigration status.