What Harvard Said On Trump Halting Its Ability To Enroll Foreign Students
Harvard University on Friday slammed the Donald Trump administration for revoking its ability to enrol international students, calling it "unlawful". According to the Ivy League University, the US government's move is a retaliatory action that threatens "serious harm" to the university.
"We are fully committed to maintaining Harvard's ability to host international students and scholars, who hail from more than 140 countries and enrich the University - and this nation - immeasurably. We are working quickly to provide guidance and support to members of our community. This retaliatory action threatens serious harm to the Harvard community and our country, and undermines Harvard's academic and research mission," Harvard spokesperson Jason Newton said in a statement.
There were over 6,000 international students enrolled at Harvard during the 2024-2025 academic year, representing 27.3 per cent of the student body, the university said.
"The tuition and other student charges they pay are an important source of income for the University. International students typically pay closer to the full cost of a Harvard education than students from the United States," it said.
Donald Trump's crackdown on top universities in the United States has taken a more aggressive stance within a few months of the Republican leader taking office for the second term. Trump, who is seeking to eliminate anti-semitism on campuses and push his demands, had even accused his predecessor, Joe Biden, of letting the universities off the hook. Harvard had first fallen prey to the crackdown last month when the White House put a $2.2 billion freeze on federal funding. Trump had put forth a few conditions to revoke the ban on federal funding, but Harvard refused.
Now, the administration sent a letter to the university putting a bar on the Ivy League's ability to enrol international students amid an ongoing investigation into the university by the Department of Homeland Security.
"This administration is holding Harvard accountable for fostering violence, antisemitism, and coordinating with the Chinese Communist Party on its campus. 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. Harvard had plenty of opportunity to do the right thing. It refused," Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said in a post.
She added that Harvard has "lost their Student and Exchange Visitor Program certification as a result of their failure to adhere to the law".
Trump's 6 conditions to Harvard
The Trump administration, however, has put forth six conditions for Harvard to be able to restart enrolling international students. These include Harvard submitting all records (electronic records, audio or video footage) regarding illegal, dangerous, or violent activities by a non-immigrant student enrolled in the university in the last five years.
The Ivy League should also submit all records, whether official or informal, regarding threats to other students or university personnel, or deprivation of rights of other classmates or university personnel by a non-immigrant student enrolled in the university.
It also ordered the Ivy League to submit all disciplinary records of all non-immigrant students and the audio or video footage of any protest activity involving a non-immigrant student on a Harvard University campus in the last five years.
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