Trump administration stops Harvard from enrolling international students

The Trump administration’s Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has stopped Harvard’s ability to enrol international students. 

DHS claimed the decision was based on the Ivy League school having created an “unsafe campus environment” by “permitting anti-American, pro-terrorist agitators” on campus.

The ban will result in thousands of students being forced to transfer to other universities or leave the US entirely.

Kristi Noem, the anti-LGBTQ+ secretary of homeland security, announced the move on X, where she baselessly accused the university of “coordinating with the Chinese Communist Party on its campus”. 

She continued: “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. They have lost their Student and Exchange Visitor Program certification as a result of their failure to adhere to the law.”

She concluded the post by writing, “Let this serve as a warning to all universities and academic institutions across the country.” 

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… pic.twitter.com/12hJWd1J86

— Secretary Kristi Noem (@Sec_Noem) May 22, 2025

DHS said of the ban in its announcement: “This means Harvard can no longer enrol foreign students and existing foreign students must transfer or lose their legal status.”

The Cambridge, Massachusetts university has said, as reported by Sky News, that the move is “unlawful” and “threatens serious harm to the Harvard community and our country, and undermines Harvard’s academic and research mission”.

Harvard enrolled nearly 6,800 international students in the 2024-2025 school year, amounting to 27 per cent of its total enrolment, according to university statistics.

The move follows DHS terminating $2.7 million (£1.6bn) in DHS grants for Harvard last month after the school refused to provide information that Noem demanded about some foreign student visa holders at Harvard, as reported by Reuters. 

It also follows Trump’s pledge to crackdown on immigration and his effort to ensure schools steer clear of “radical left” ideologies. 

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