In a move that sent shockwaves through higher education, the Trump administration says it is stripping Harvard University of its ability to enroll international students.
The decision threatens the futures of about 6,000 current students who must now transfer schools or lose their legal status in the United States, according to Reuters.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem cited the university’s refusal to provide detailed records about international students’ campus activities as among the reasons she was terminating Harvard’s Student and Exchange Visitor Program certification.
She posted the letter her department sent to Harvard on social media.
The timing couldn’t be worse.
Thousands of international students are set to graduate next week, and the ban prevents Harvard from enrolling any new international students for the 2025-2026 academic year, The Harvard Crimson reports.
Students on F-1 and J-1 visas now face difficult choices. They must find another school to accept them, change their immigration status, or leave the country.
The university reports that its top countries of enrollment include Canada, China, the United Kingdom, South Korea, India, Australia, Germany, Japan and Singapore.
The crackdown stems from Harvard’s partial compliance with government demands for international students’ disciplinary records and data on their participation in pro-Gaza protests.
Harvard has fired back, calling the action unlawful and retaliatory, arguing that international students from more than 140 countries enrich both the university and the nation, according to Reuters.
The administration has given Harvard just 72 hours to submit documentation, including audio and video of any protest activity involving international students, to potentially regain certification.
Whether compliance would restore the program remains unclear.
Follow this story at Reuters and The Harvard Crimson.
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