School
@Career
Administration Bans Harvard from Enrolling Foreign Students, Escalating Tensions
May 23, 2025 – The Trump administration has barred Harvard University from enrolling new international students, intensifying a high-profile standoff between the federal government and the Ivy League institution. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced that Harvard’s existing foreign students must transfer or risk losing their legal status, a move impacting over 6,800 students—more than a quarter of the university’s enrollment.
Officials cited Harvard’s refusal to comply with federal demands on hiring, admissions, protests, and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies as justification for the ban. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem stated that the action was necessary to “enforce the law and root out the evils of anti-Americanism and antisemitism” on campuses.
This decision follows the administration’s earlier freeze of $3 billion in federal grants to Harvard and threats to revoke its tax-exempt status. Harvard has responded defiantly, with President Alan Garber vowing to protect the university’s independence and constitutional rights. The university is already suing over the funding freeze and is expected to challenge the new ban in court.
The policy has left international students in turmoil, uncertain about their futures and facing the prospect of leaving their studies and lives in the U.S. on short notice.
May 23, 2025 – The Trump administration has barred Harvard University from enrolling new international students, intensifying a high-profile standoff between the federal government and the Ivy League institution. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced that Harvard’s existing foreign students must transfer or risk losing their legal status, a move impacting over 6,800 students—more than a quarter of the university’s enrollment.
Officials cited Harvard’s refusal to comply with federal demands on hiring, admissions, protests, and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies as justification for the ban. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem stated that the action was necessary to “enforce the law and root out the evils of anti-Americanism and antisemitism” on campuses.
This decision follows the administration’s earlier freeze of $3 billion in federal grants to Harvard and threats to revoke its tax-exempt status. Harvard has responded defiantly, with President Alan Garber vowing to protect the university’s independence and constitutional rights. The university is already suing over the funding freeze and is expected to challenge the new ban in court.
The policy has left international students in turmoil, uncertain about their futures and facing the prospect of leaving their studies and lives in the U.S. on short notice.