The Donald Trump administration has stripped Harvard University of its certification under the Student and Exchange Visitor Programme, thereby prohibiting it from accepting foreign students on Thursday. This will deal a serious blow to one of the key sources of funding for the oldest and richest American university.
The US Department of Homeland Security warned the university of this possibility back in April. The department accuses Harvard of allowing a security threat on campus and permitting anti-American agitators who support terrorism to intimidate and attack students, especially members of the Jewish community. The department also accuses the university’s leadership of collaborating with the Chinese Communist Party. Harvard has become a prime target for the White House in its campaign to fundamentally reform prestigious American universities.
The university appeared at the centre of a scandal over pro-Palestinian student protests that erupted after Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023 and the Jewish state’s response in the Gaza Strip.
This year, Harvard has about 6,800 foreign students, accounting for 27% of the total student body. By comparison, in 2006, they accounted for only 19.6%. Tuition at the university is $59,320 per year, and with room and board, it can exceed $87,000.
“For universities, the ability to accept foreign students is a privilege, not a right. Universities profit from foreign students, who pay more than Americans, and use them to replenish their multi-billion dollar endowment funds,” Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said.
The government’s decision threatens not only future foreign applicants, but also foreigners who are already studying at Harvard. The Department of Homeland Security has sent them a clear message: if they do not transfer to other universities, they will lose their legal status in the US. In effect, this means that thousands of students who are unable to find alternative educational institutions or complete the transfer process will face deportation.
The university intends to fight for its rights. “We will do everything possible to ensure that Harvard can continue to welcome students and scholars who come to us from more than 140 countries and make invaluable contributions to the university and the country,” said Jason Newton, the university’s press secretary. “We are moving quickly to provide support to those who need it. These punitive measures cause serious harm to the university community and the state as a whole, undermining Harvard’s educational and scientific mission.”
The university is likely to file a lawsuit against the Trump administration, as it considers the government’s actions illegal and contrary to the principle of academic freedom.
Harvard has previously sued several federal agencies over the freezing of more than $2 billion in grants and contracts. This came after the university’s leadership refused to comply with the government’s demands to review the university’s governance system, change its hiring policies, stop admitting foreign students hostile to American values, and ensure ideological diversity.
