The students, who come from countries including Nigeria, India and Nepal, were informed of the closure of Tasmac Business School, London, by email on October 6 at 11.45pm, and found their Wembley campus locked on the morning of October 7.

The University of Wales (UoW) – still reeling from a visa scandal uncovered at another of its colleges – has said it is working hard to transfer the students to other colleges offering its courses and has set up an email assistance line. However, a month on, it would not say whether it had placed any of the students, who have just 60 days under UK law to remain in the country and find other courses.

One employee working at another private college in London said they had been overwhelmed with requests from displaced students who were keen to transfer to another provider. But, they pointed out, at a private college, rather than a university-affiliated programme, these students will not be able to work part-time, placing them in a more vulnerable situation.

Talking to University World News, Student Suneet Patel (a pseudonym) said she felt cheated, but also that UoW had not given her any support. “University of Wales representatives… did not say anything and for every question we asked them they only said ‘I don’t know’,” she said.

The closure came just days after Ryat College, London – which also offers UoW degrees – was revealed to be helping students cheat their way to degrees before post-study work rights are removed by the UKBA in April 2012.

Tasmac denies any connection to this case, saying that it could not afford the UK£20,000 UKBA inspection required to gain Highly Trusted Sponsor status – mandatory for colleges with Tier 4 students – and that a takeover bid that would have saved it from liquidation had collapsed at the last minute.

The college’s joint managing director, Sameer Dua, who left the UK for India days after the story broke, told the BBC that he regretted what had happened and that students being placed on other UoW courses was the solution.

He did not say whether the students would be refunded any of the £7,850 in fees paid for their MBA courses

However, he did not say whether the students would be refunded any of the £7,850 in fees paid for their MBA courses. A source close to the company say it was unlikely, which could mean the students have to pay additional fees to complete their degrees.

The affair casts further doubt over the accreditation of colleges offering UoW courses, which number 130 worldwide – the most run by any university in the UK. Following the Ryat scandal, UoW has said it will stop validating degrees outside of those colleges it directly controls.