Home Office refuses to exempt exceptional students from tough immigration rules

Exclusive: Foreign secretary Yvette Cooper concerned about effect of student visa ban on female Chevening scholars from Afghanistan and Sudan

The Home Office rejected an appeal from the foreign secretary, Yvette Cooper, that would have protected outstanding students in some of the world's most dangerous countries from changes to the UK's immigration system, the Guardian understands.

Shabana Mahmood, the home secretary, turned down proposals from the Foreign Office to maintain a carve-out for Chevening scholars, a government-funded programme for exceptional individuals" to study for a master's degree at a UK university.