On Thursday, the Trump administration revoked Harvard University’s ability to enroll international students. International students, both enrolling and current, must transfer to a different institution or they will lose their visas, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
“Enrolling foreign students is a privilege, not a right,” the White House said in a statement following the action.
Harvard currently has 6,793 international students who were enrolled during the 2024-25 academic year, making up 27.2% of its student body. The university has condemned the action, stating that it is “unlawful” and that they are committed to maintaining their ability to host international students who “enrich the University – and this nation – immeasurably.”
“This retaliatory action threatens serious harm to the Harvard community and our country, and undermines Harvard’s academic and research mission,” university spokesperson Jason Newton said.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced that the action was taken following the rejection of the Trump administration’s request by the university to reform its admissions process for international students by screening them for views “supportive of terrorism and antisemitism” and to report those who break university policies to federal authorities. The demand was among several rejected by the university, which had resulted in the freezing of $2.2 billion in federal research funding to Harvard.
The other demands included restructuring governance to reduce the influence of faculty deemed “overly activist;” eliminating affirmative action in admissions and hiring; conducting third-party audits of academic programs for bias or antisemitism; dismantling all DEI initiatives; enforcing viewpoint diversity through annual audits and possible faculty reassignment; and implementing strict protest regulations, including a mask ban and disciplinary actions.
“No government — regardless of which party is in power — should dictate what private universities can teach, whom they can admit and hire, and which areas of study and inquiry they can pursue,” Harvard President Alan Garber wrote in a letter to the community following the rejection of the demands.
A federal judge has recently blocked the action. While this grants Harvard’s emergency motion to block Trump’s revoking of the universities ability to enroll international students, it remains unclear whether it will remain in place.
In the order, U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs said Harvard showed “it will sustain immediate and irreparable injury.” Now, Burroughs says that there will be enough time to allow for “an opportunity to hear from all parties.”
In the same letter announcing the action, Harvard was also accused of allowing anti-American, anti semitic, and pro-terrorist agitators and rhetoric. The letter wrote that Harvard is “perpetuating an unsafe campus environment that is hostile to Jewish students, promotes pro-Hamas sympathies, and employs racist ‘diversity, equity and inclusion’ practices.”
Emerson College is currently among dozens of universities under federal investigation for ‘antisemitic discrimination and harassment,’ of which Harvard was also included.
“Let this serve as a warning to all universities and academic institutions across the country,” the DHS said in a statement regarding the actions against Harvard.
Emerson College did not immediately respond to request for comment.
