United States President Donald Trump, on Thursday, May 22, 2025, revoked the ability of Harvard University to enroll international student.
The Department of Homeland Security announced this via a statement.
This has forced existing students to transfer to other universities or lose their legal status in the United States.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem ordered the department to terminate the Harvard University’s Student and Exchange Visitor Program certification, the department said.
Noem accused the university of “fostering violence, antisemitism, and coordinating with the Chinese Communist Party.”
Harvard said the Trump administration move – which affects thousands of students – was illegal and amounted to retaliation.
The clampdown on foreign students marks a significant escalation of the Trump administration’s campaign against the elite Ivy League university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, which has emerged as one of Trump’s most prominent institutional targets.
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The move comes after Harvard refused to provide information that Noem had previously demanded about some foreign student visa holders who attend the university, the department said.
“It is a privilege, not a right, for universities to enroll foreign students and benefit from their higher tuition payments to help pad their multibillion-dollar endowments,” Noem said.
Harvard, in a statement, rejected the allegations and pledged to support foreign students.
The university said: “The government’s action is unlawful.
“This retaliatory action threatens serious harm to the Harvard community and our country, and undermines Harvard’s academic and research mission.”
The university said it was “fully committed” to educating foreign students and was working on producing guidance for affected students, Reuters reported.
Harvard University enrolled nearly 6,800 international students in the 2024-2025 school year, amounting to 27% of its total enrollment, according to university statistics.
Trump has undertaken an extraordinary effort to revamp private colleges and schools across the U.S. that he says foster anti-American, Marxist, and “radical left” ideologies.
The president, a Republican, has criticised Harvard for hiring prominent Democrats to teaching or leadership positions.
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