Trump administration revokes Harvard’s authority to enroll international students

In a sweeping and controversial move, the Trump administration has stripped Harvard University of its authority to enroll international students, escalating a growing confrontation between the federal government and the Ivy League institution over campus policies and political accountability.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on Thursday announced the revocation of Harvard’s certification under the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP), a decision that immediately affects the legal status of nearly 7,000 international students enrolled at the university.

According to the DHS, Harvard students on F-1 visas must now seek transfer to other certified institutions or risk losing their legal status in the United States.

“Harvard can no longer enroll foreign students, and existing foreign students must transfer or lose their legal status,” the department stated.

The move follows the termination of two federal research and public health grants to Harvard totaling more than $2.7 million.

The DHS, under the leadership of Secretary Kristi Noem, cited Harvard’s alleged failure to adequately respond to antisemitism on campus and its handling of recent campus protests as grounds for both the funding cuts and the revocation of international student enrollment privileges.

Secretary Noem argued that with a $53.2 billion endowment, Harvard does not require taxpayer support and should instead be held to higher standards of transparency and compliance with federal regulations.

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She also accused the university of failing to meet reporting requirements related to international students allegedly involved in “illegal or violent activities.”

“If Harvard cannot verify full compliance with federal reporting mandates, it does not deserve the privilege of educating foreign students,” Noem said during a press conference in Washington.

This latest action is part of a broader campaign by the Trump administration to challenge what it views as ideological bias and inadequate responses to antisemitism in elite academic institutions. The administration has taken a hardline stance on university accountability, targeting not only Harvard but other top schools for their campus governance and political cultures.

Harvard, in response, issued a defiant statement reaffirming its commitment to academic freedom, institutional autonomy, and its zero-tolerance policy toward antisemitism.

The university also announced plans to pursue legal action against the federal government, arguing that the revocation violates constitutional rights and unfairly targets international students.

“Harvard is deeply concerned about the implications of this decision on our students, and we will exhaust all legal avenues to defend their right to study and thrive here,” the university said in a statement.

According to university data, 27.2 percent of Harvard’s student population for the 2024–2025 academic year are international students, representing 6,793 individuals from over 140 countries.

These students now face a period of intense uncertainty as they navigate the fallout from a decision that could abruptly derail their academic careers and immigration status.

Karl Molden, a rising junior from Austria, voiced his distress. “Many of us have worked our entire lives to get to a university like Harvard, and now we need to wait around and see if we might have to transfer out and face difficulties with visas,” he said.

“International students are being used as a play ball in this larger fight between democracy and authoritarianism.”

The backlash from the academic community has been swift and fierce. Jason Furman, an economics professor at Harvard and former White House adviser under President Obama, condemned the policy.

“It is impossible to imagine Harvard without our amazing international students,” Furman said. “They are a huge benefit to everyone here, to innovation, and to the United States more broadly. This decision is horrendous on every level. Higher education is one of America’s great exports and a cornerstone of our soft power.”