In a stocking revenge, the Trump administration has revoked Harvard University's certification to enrol international students, intensifying a growing conflict between the US federal government and the country’s oldest academic institution. The move, announced on Thursday by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, could affect a large number of students, including hundreds of Indians, and has drawn strong condemnation from Harvard and international observers.
In a post on X, Noem stated: “I am writing to inform you that effective immediately, Harvard University’s Student and Exchange Visitor Programme certification is revoked.” The revocation prohibits Harvard from hosting students on F-1 and J-1 non-immigrant visas for the 2025–2026 academic year. Existing international students must transfer to other institutions within the United States or risk losing their legal immigration status.
Noem justified the decision as a response to Harvard’s alleged failure to comply with federal reporting requirements, adding that the action should “send a clear signal” to other universities that the administration will enforce laws strictly and combat perceived antisemitism and anti-American sentiment on campuses. She also accused Harvard of “fostering violence” and “coordinating with the Chinese Communist Party.”
Harvard officials have described the move as “unlawful” and retaliatory. In a statement, the university said: “We are fully committed to maintaining Harvard’s ability to host our international students and scholars, who hail from more than 140 countries and enrich the university – and this nation – immeasurably. This retaliatory action threatens serious harm to the Harvard community and our country, and undermines Harvard’s academic and research mission.”
The consequence of the decision is especially serious for Harvard’s foreign students, numbering over 10,000 across all departments and schools. there are 788 students and scholars from India enrolled for the 2024–25 academic year. Between 500 to 800 Indian students arrive at Harvard each year.
Ajay Bhutoria, a former advisor to President Biden told PTI: “These students, who represent the brightest minds from cities like Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru, have invested their dreams, finances and futures in a Harvard education—only to have their aspirations shattered by a politically motivated attack.”
The Trump administration's action follows an intensifying series of confrontations with Harvard over its responses to campus protests, diversity programming, and accusations of antisemitism. The Trump government has demanded sweeping changes in hiring, admissions and disciplinary procedures and recently cut an additional $45 crore in federal grants after a previous cancellation of $2.2 billion. The administration has also threatened to revoke Harvard’s tax-exempt status and demanded the dismantling of its diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.
A 72-hour deadline has been imposed for Harvard to comply with a list of demands in order to potentially restore its certification. These include submitting all disciplinary records of international students from the past five years and providing video or audio evidence of any “illegal or violent” acts committed by these students.
News of the revocation has spread quickly on campus, sparking fear and confusion among Harvard’s 6,800 international students, who make up about 27 percent of the student body.
Sarah Davis, an Australian student and president of the Australia and New Zealand Caucus at Harvard Kennedy School, told BBC Newshour: “The news has come only five days before a lot of us are due to graduate, and this obviously is going to have very uncertain implications for whether we’re able to stay on in the United States and keep working here.”
Leo Gerdén, a Swedish undergraduate just days from graduation, told the BBC that international students were being used as “poker chips” in a battle between the White House and the university. “It’s incredibly dehumanising,” he said. “Without the international students, Harvard is simply not Harvard anymore.”
Harvard’s president, Alan Garber, has vowed to fight back, asserting in April that “no government – regardless of which party is in power – should dictate what private universities can teach, whom they can admit and hire, and which areas of study and inquiry they can pursue.” He added that the administration’s actions infringe on Harvard’s First Amendment rights and go beyond statutory limits of federal authority.
The administration's campaign has already sparked numerous lawsuits from universities across the country and led to a court decision in California on Thursday that temporarily blocks the revocation of international student visas nationwide while legal challenges continue.
Pippa Norris, a lecturer at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, warned that the crackdown would have a chilling effect on American higher education. “Trump is cutting off international knowledge to American students, reducing soft power, and weakening America,” she said. “This will benefit institutions like Oxford and Cambridge, because top international students will look elsewhere.”
The standoff between the Trump administration and Harvard appears far from over, with legal and political ramifications likely to be spilled over to other university campuses across country.
