In a dramatic and decisive action, the US President Donald Trump’s administration has barred Harvard University from enrolling foreign students. This significant decision impacts over one-quarter of the university’s student body and represents a severe confrontation between Trump and one of America’s most esteemed educational institutions. Trump asserts that Harvard has failed to adhere to regulations and has fostered a campus environment that he claims is unsafe for Jewish students and conducive to radical viewpoints.
Trump is reportedly incensed with Harvard – a university that has produced 162 Nobel laureates – for its rejection of his demand for oversight on admissions and hiring. This demand stemmed from his allegations that the institution is a hotbed of antisemitism and “woke” liberal ideology.
“Effective immediately, Harvard University’s Student and Exchange Visitor (SEVIS) Programme certification is revoked,” wrote Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in a letter addressed to the Ivy League institution. SEVIS refers to the primary system through which foreign students are permitted to study in the United States. Last month, Trump had threatened to prevent Harvard from enrolling foreign students if it did not accede to government demands that would subject the private institution to external political supervision.
“As I explained to you in my April letter, it is a privilege to enroll foreign students,” Noem’s letter stated. “All universities must comply with Department of Homeland Security requirements, including reporting requirements under the Student and Exchange Visitor Programme regulations, to maintain this privilege,” she continued. “As a result of your refusal to comply with multiple requests to provide the Department of Homeland Security pertinent information while perpetuating an unsafe campus environment that is hostile to Jewish students, promotes pro-Hamas sympathies, and employs racist ‘diversity, equity, and inclusion’ policies, you have lost this privilege.”
According to university data, foreign students constituted more than 27 percent of Harvard’s enrollment in the 2024–25 academic year. Harvard did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
