US govt revokes Harvard’s right to enroll foreign students

NEW YORK: Donald Trump´s administration on Thursday revoked Harvard´s right to enroll foreign students -- more than a quarter of its annual enrollment -- in a major escalation of the president´s fight with one of the world´s most storied universities.

Trump is furious at Harvard -- which has produced 162 Nobel prize winners -- for rejecting his demand that it submit to oversight on admissions and hiring over his claims that it is a hotbed of anti-Semitism and “woke” liberal ideology.

“Effective immediately, Harvard University´s Student and Exchange Visitor (SEVIS) Programme certification is revoked,” Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem wrote in a letter to the Ivy League institution, 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 Programme 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.Meanwhile, Harvard University has said that the Department of Homeland Security’s move to revoke its ability to enroll international students is “unlawful” retaliatory action that threatens serious harm to the university.

In a statement, the university said: “The government’s action is unlawful. We are fully committed to maintaining its ability to host international students and scholars from more than 140 countries and enrich the university.

This retaliatory action threatens serious harm to the Harvard community and our country, and undermines Harvard’s academic and research mission.” The move comes after Harvard refused to provide information homeland security secretary Kristi Noem had previously demanded about some foreign student visa holders who attend the university, the DHS said.