Trump administration bans Harvard from teaching international students
Harvard (Photo: CJ GUNTHER/EPA)

The Trump administration has revoked Harvard University's right to admit citizens of other countries and is forcing current international students to transfer to other institutions or lose their legal status. Harvard says the decision is illegal and harmful, Reuters reports .

US Secretary of Homeland Security Christie Noem has ordered the termination of certification under the Harvard University Student Exchange Program starting with the 2025-2026 academic year.

In a letter to the university, Noem accused the university of "inciting violence, anti-Semitism, and coordinating with the Chinese Communist Party" and gave Harvard "the opportunity" to restore its certification by handing over information about international students within 72 hours. In particular, video and audio recordings of their protest activities over the past five years.

Harvard called the government's actions illegal and harmful.

"These actions threaten serious harm to the Harvard community and our country, and undermine Harvard's academic and research mission," the university said.

According to university statistics, in the 2024-2025 academic year, Harvard had nearly 6,800 international students, representing 27% of the total student population.

  • Trump has frozen about $3 billion in federal grants to Harvard in recent weeks, forcing the university to sue to restore funding.
  • His administration sought to revoke the student visas and green cards of foreign students who participated in pro-Palestinian protests.
  • He also criticized Harvard for hiring prominent Democrats for teaching or leadership positions.