British students are expected to be barred from spending a year at American universities under Donald Trump’s sweeping visa ban.

Tens of thousands of UK students are waiting to hear a decision on their funding applications for this year’s Turing Scheme, which allows them to enrol at universities around the world for up to a year.

Those who applied to study at US colleges next year are expected to be turned down under White House plans, unless they have already received their visas.

It comes after Mr Trump ramped up his attack on American universities by ordering US embassies to halt all new visa interviews for prospective international students.

In a leaked cable shared on Tuesday, Marco Rubio, the US secretary of state, also demanded an “expansion” of social media vetting for all student visa applicants.

The changes, which Mr Rubio said would come into effect “in the coming days”, will apply to student exchange visas as well as those for full-time international students.

A Whitehall source confirmed to The Telegraph that J-1 exchange visas required for the Turing Scheme were affected by the ban, but said some students may have already secured their visas for next year.

The UK Government will monitor the situation and is discussing potential implications with universities, The Telegraph understands.