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Washington, DC [US], May 23 (ANI): The Trump administration on Thursday barred Harvard University from enrolling international students, CNN reported. The decision comes after Harvard University refused to agree to the administration’s policy demands.
In a statement, the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) stated, “Harvard can no longer enroll foreign students and existing foreign students must transfer or lose their legal status.”
US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem directed her department to end Harvard’s Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) certification, over the university’s refusal to turn over the conduct records of foreign students requested by the DHS in April.
The administration’s decision could affect more than a quarter of Harvard’s heavily international student body, who have been worried by the announcement. Professors have warned that a mass exodus of foreign students threatens to restrain the institution’s academic prowess even as it fights against the Trump administration for its ideological autonomy, according to CNN report.
On Thursday, the White House said, “Enrolling foreign students is a privilege, not a right.” It accused Harvard leadership of turning “their once-great institution into a hot-bed of anti-American, anti-Semitic, pro-terrorist agitators.”
In a statement to CNN, White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said, “They have repeatedly failed to take action to address the widespread problems negatively impacting American students and now they must face the consequences of their actions.”
Harvard and the Trump administration have been engaged in a conflict for months as the administration demands the university make changes to the programming of the institution, hiring and administration to remove on-campus antisemitism and remove what it termed “racist ‘diversity, equity and inclusion’ practices.” The administration has targeted foreign students and employees it believes were part of the contentious campus protests over the Israel-Hamas war.
However, the university leadership said that many of the requests, including an “audit” of the “viewpoint” of its students and staff, go far beyond the role of the federal government and may breach the constitutional rights of Harvard.
Harvard is among dozens of US universities facing similar demands from the Trump administration. However, it has not refused to agree to the demands and has defended academic independence. The university condemned the SEVP revocation, calling it “unlawful” and said in a statement that it is “fully committed to maintaining Harvard’s ability to host international students and scholars, who hail from more than 140 countries and enrich the University – and this nation – immeasurably.”
Harvard University spokesperson Jason Newton said, “We are working quickly to provide guidance and support to members of our community. This retaliatory action threatens serious harm to the Harvard community and our country, and undermines Harvard’s academic and research mission.”
According to the university, it has 9,970 people in its international academic population, and data shows 6,793 international students comprise 27.2 per cent of its enrollment in the 2024-25 academic year.
Harvard has made some changes in its policy to comply with the Trump administration’s requests, including changing the name of its Office of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging to Community and Campus Life.
In a letter to Harvard on Thursday, Kristi Noem accused the university of “perpetuating an unsafe campus environment that is hostile to Jewish students, promotes pro-Hamas sympathies, and employs racist ‘diversity, equity and inclusion’ practices.”
The Trump administration has imposed several retaliatory measures against Harvard, including freezing USD 2.2 billion in federal funds – a move the university is fighting in court. The Internal Revenue Service is also planning to rescind Harvard’s tax-exempt status, CNN reported, citing two sources familiar with the matter.
The Trump administration seems to use Harvard as an example, as it threatens similar punishment to other institutions if they do not agree to their demands. While speaking to Fox News, Noem said, “This should be a warning to every other university to get your act together.”
Following the Donald Trump administration’s decision to bar Harvard University from enrolling international students, the university condemned the decision as both unlawful and unwarranted and said that the decision “imperils the futures of thousands of students and scholars.”
The university has filed a legal complaint and announced plans to seek a temporary restraining order as it pursues all available remedies.
In a statement released on Friday, the Office of the President of Harvard University said, “Yesterday, the federal government announced that it has revoked Harvard’s certification under the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) and stripped the University of its authority to sponsor F- and J- visas for international students and scholars for the 2025-26 academic year. The revocation continues a series of government actions to retaliate against Harvard for our refusal to surrender our academic independence and to submit to the federal government’s illegal assertion of control over our curriculum, our faculty, and our student body.”
Reassuring its international community, Harvard emphasised its commitment to defending academic freedom and pledged support to those impacted by the decision.
It added, “We condemn this unlawful and unwarranted action. It imperils the futures of thousands of students and scholars across Harvard and serves as a warning to countless others at colleges and universities throughout the country who have come to America to pursue their education and fulfil their dreams. We have just filed a complaint, and a motion for a temporary restraining order will follow. As we pursue legal remedies, we will do everything in our power to support our students and scholars. The Harvard International Office will provide periodic updates as new information becomes available.”
The statement further said that the government has claimed that its destructive action is based on Harvard’s failure to comply with the US Department of Homeland Security’s requests for information. “In fact, Harvard did respond to the Department’s requests as required by law. For those international students and scholars affected by yesterday’s action, know that you are vital members of our community. You are our classmates and friends, our colleagues and mentors, our partners in the work of this great institution. Thanks to you, we know more and understand more, and our country and our world are more enlightened and more resilient. We will support you as we do our utmost to ensure that Harvard remains open to the world,” the Harvard statement added.
Earlier on Thursday, the White House said, “Enrolling foreign students is a privilege, not a right.” It accused Harvard leadership of turning “their once-great institution into a hotbed of anti-American, anti-Semitic, pro-terrorist agitators.”
In a statement to CNN, White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said, “They have repeatedly failed to take action to address the widespread problems negatively impacting American students and now they must face the consequences of their actions.”
Harvard and the Trump administration have been engaged in a conflict for months as the administration demands the university make changes to the programming of the institution, hiring and administration to remove on-campus antisemitism and remove what it termed “racist ‘diversity, equity and inclusion’ practices.” The administration has targeted foreign students and employees, whom it believes were part of the contentious campus protests over the Israel-Hamas war. (ANI)
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