Trump revokes Harvard University's authority to enroll foreign students
Foreign

The Trump administration on Thursday revoked Harvard University’s ability to admit international students, who comprise more than a quarter of its total enrollment. The decision marks a significant escalation in President Donald Trump’s ongoing conflict with the elite academic institution.
The action follows Harvard’s refusal to comply with the administration’s demand for federal oversight of its admissions and hiring processes. President Trump has accused the university of being a breeding ground for anti-Semitism and what he calls a “woke” liberal ideology.
Harvard, which has produced 162 Nobel Prize laureates, has pushed back against the accusations and defended its independence. The revocation is expected to spark legal and political fallout, with critics warning of potential long-term consequences for academic freedom and international education.
“Effective immediately, Harvard University’s Student and Exchange Visitor (SEVIS) Program certification is revoked,” Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem wrote in a letter to the Ivy League institution, referring to the main system by which foreign students are permitted to study in the United States.
Last month, Trump threatened to stop Harvard from enrolling foreign students if it did not agree to government demands that would put the private institution under outside political supervision.
“As I explained to you in my April letter, it is a privilege to enroll foreign students,” Noem wrote.
“All universities must comply with Department of Homeland Security requirements, including reporting requirements under the Student and Exchange Visitor Program regulations, to maintain this privilege,” she said.
“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.”
University data shows that foreign students represented over 27 percent of Harvard’s enrollment during the 2024-25 academic year.
Harvard has not responded immediately to requests for comment.