United States: The Trump administration has revoked Harvard University’s right to enroll international students. The decision impacts thousands of foreign students and may soon extend to other top US universities.
The US Department of Homeland Security, led by Secretary Kristi Noem, has stripped Harvard University of its Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) certification for the 2025–2026 academic year. The university must now transfer its international students to other institutions or risk losing their legal immigration status.
This dramatic action affects more than 6,700 international students of Harvard from 146 countries. Students from China, Canada, and India make up 40 percent of the total international enrolment. Harvard has called the move unlawful and a form of retaliation.
Secretary Noem claimed that the university was fostering violence, antisemitism, and coordinating with the Chinese Communist Party. She further stated that 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.
In a letter to Harvard University, Noem gave the institution 72 hours to hand over records about its foreign students, including any video or audio of protest activities from the past five years. Failure to comply would mean the university remains barred from accepting international applicants.
Harvard responded that, “This retaliatory action threatens serious harm to the Harvard community and our country, and undermines Harvard’s academic and research mission.” The university said that it remains fully committed to educating international students.
President Trump has frozen around 3 billion Dollars in federal grants to Harvard. In response, the university has filed a lawsuit seeking to recover the funds. A separate federal case ruled that the administration cannot revoke foreign student status without following proper legal processes.
Democrats in Congress have condemned the action. US Representative Jaime Raskin said that, “It’s an intolerable attack on Harvard’s independence and academic freedom.” He accused the administration of political retaliation over Harvard’s resistance to Trump’s policies.
The Chinese Embassy in Washington has not commented. Meanwhile, immigration experts warn that innocent students are being punished. Aaron Reichlin-Melnick of the American Immigration Council noted that, “None of them have done anything wrong, they’re just collateral damage to Trump.”
The block on Harvard international students has sparked chaos in higher education, fuelling urgent concerns about academic freedom, immigration policy, and US government overreach.
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