Trump revokes Harvard’s right to enroll foreign students
Shafaq News/ On Thursday, the Trump administration revoked Harvard University’s authorization to enroll foreign students, amid a growing confrontation between the White House and one of the US’s most prestigious academic institutions.
US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced the decision in a letter to the Ivy League, citing Harvard’s refusal to submit its admissions and hiring practices to federal oversight. The move affects the university’s participation in the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP), the main legal framework allowing international students to study in the United States.
“No longer authorized, effective immediately,” the letter stated, accusing Harvard of non-compliance with Department of Homeland Security (DHS) reporting requirements.
President Donald Trump, who has frequently targeted elite universities, accused Harvard of being a “radical leftist, anti-Semitic institution” and part of what he described as “woke ideology.” He had previously threatened to block the university from accepting foreign students unless it submitted to political oversight.
In her statement, Noem emphasized that enrolling international students is “a privilege, not a right,” and that all institutions must comply with DHS regulations to retain that privilege.
Harvard filed a lawsuit against Trump in response to the measure, arguing that it jeopardizes academic continuity and unlawfully targets internationalenrollees.
“It is the latest act by the government in clear retaliation for Harvard exercising its First Amendment rights to reject the government’s demands to control Harvard’s governance, curriculum, and the ‘ideology’ of its faculty and students,” the university said in a statement.
The University pledged continued support for international students, who make up approximately 27% of its enrollment. The university registered nearly 6,800 foreign students for the 2024–2025 academic year, according to its statistics.
