The Trump administration on Thursday revoked Harvard University’s ability to enroll international students, escalating a months-long battle with the Ivy League school over campus protests and diversity policies.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem terminated Harvard’s Student and Exchange Visitor Program certification, which allows universities to admit foreign students. The decision affects nearly 6,800 international students who make up 27% of Harvard’s enrollment.
“This administration is holding Harvard accountable for fostering violence, antisemitism, and coordinating with the Chinese Communist Party on its campus,” Noem said. The ban forces current international students to transfer to other schools or lose their legal status.
Harvard called the move “unlawful” and filed a federal lawsuit Friday challenging the decision.
“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 fulfill their dreams,” Harvard President Alan Garber said in a letter to the Harvard community.
The confrontation began after Trump took office in January, targeting pro-Palestinian protests and diversity programs at universities. In April, the administration demanded Harvard eliminate diversity programs, conduct ideological audits of faculty and refuse admission to students deemed “hostile to American values.”
Garber rejected the demands April 14, writing: “The University will not surrender its independence or relinquish its constitutional rights.”
The administration responded by freezing $2.2 billion in federal grants. Earlier this month, it cut an additional $450 million, bringing total funding cuts to nearly $2.7 billion.
A federal judge in California issued a separate injunction Thursday blocking the administration from terminating international students’ legal status nationwide without proper procedures. It’s unclear how that ruling affects Harvard’s situation.
Harvard has filed multiple lawsuits arguing the actions violate First Amendment rights and constitute illegal retaliation.
The administration has targeted more than 60 universities with similar demands. Columbia University complied in March, implementing mask bans and new oversight of Middle Eastern studies programs.
International students contributed more than $43 billion to the US economy in 2023-24. The 1.1 million international students at US colleges don’t qualify for federal financial aid, making them crucial revenue sources.
Congressional Democrats denounced the action. Rep. Jaime Raskin called it an “intolerable attack on Harvard’s independence and academic freedom.”
Harvard’s funding case is scheduled for oral arguments in late July. The administration has threatened to expand similar actions to other universities and strip Harvard of its tax-exempt status.
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