The discord between Donald Trump and Harvard University has reached new heights as Trump’s administration on Thursday revoked Harvard’s right to enroll foreign students which is more than a quarter of its annual enrollment.
Remember that the quarrel between Trump and Harvard- one of the world’s most storied universities which has produced 162 Nobel prize winners- was because the institution rejected his demand of providing information of foreigners as well as change its admission and hiring practice due to his claims that it is a hotbed of anti-Semitism and “woke” liberal ideology.
Existing international students at the Harvard university must also transfer to other schools, or risk losing their legal status.
According to reports from AFP, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem wrote in a letter to the Ivy League institution “Effective immediately, Harvard University’s Student and Exchange Visitor (SEVIS) Program certification is revoked,”, referring to the main system by which foreign students are permitted to study in the United States.
Last month, Trump threatened to stop Harvard from enrolling foreign students if it did not agree to government demands that would put the private institution under outside political supervision.
“As I explained to you in my April letter, it is a privilege to enroll foreign students,” Noem wrote.
“All universities must comply with Department of Homeland Security requirements, including reporting requirements under the Student and Exchange Visitor Program regulations, to maintain this privilege,” she said.
“As a result of your refusal to comply with multiple requests to provide the Department of Homeland Security pertinent information while perpetuating an unsafe campus environment that is hostile to Jewish students, promotes pro-Hamas sympathies, and employs racist “diversity, equity, and inclusion” policies, you have lost this privilege.”
More than 27 percent of Harvard’s enrollment was made up of foreign students in the 2024-25 academic year, according to university data.
Reports indicate that Harvard has not responded to the restrictions.
