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Harvard University Faces Significant Policy Shift on Foreign Students
Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, US, December 12, 2023. — Reuters
- Over 27% of Harvard’s student population consists of international students.
- The announcement was made by the Secretary of Homeland Security.
- The university declined to follow federal rules regarding admissions.
NEW YORK: In a surprising turn of events, the administration of President Donald Trump has prohibited Harvard University from accepting international students.
This decision affects a significant portion of the student body and represents a serious confrontation between Trump’s administration and one of the nation’s most prestigious universities.
Trump has accused Harvard of failing to adhere to federal guidelines, citing an on-campus atmosphere he believes is unsafe for Jewish students and advantageous to radical ideologies.
The President expressed his frustration towards Harvard—an institution that has produced 162 Nobel Prize laureates—after it disregarded his request for oversight on its admissions and hiring practices, which he claims operate under anti-Semitic and excessively liberal ideologies.
“Effective immediately, Harvard’s certification under the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) is revoked,” wrote Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in a letter to the Ivy League university. This program is crucial for allowing foreign students to study in the U.S.
Last month, Trump had warned that Harvard would lose its ability to enroll international students if it did not comply with government stipulations that would place the university under external political scrutiny.
“It is a privilege to enroll foreign students,” Noem reminded Harvard in her letter. “All institutions must adhere to Department of Homeland Security requirements, including reporting obligations related to the Student and Exchange Visitor Program, to maintain this privilege.”
Due to Harvard’s refusal to comply with repeated requests for information, alongside claims of fostering an unsafe and hostile environment for Jewish students, as well as promoting pro-Hamas sentiments and adopting biased ‘diversity, equity, and inclusion’ policies, the university has forfeited this privilege.
According to university statistics, over 27% of Harvard’s enrollment consisted of international students for the 2024-25 academic year. Harvard has yet to respond to inquiries for comment.
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