https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/22/us/politics/trump-harvard-international-students.html

Skip to contentSkip to site index
Politics
 
 
Today's Paper
 

Campus Crackdown

  * Actions Against Harvard
  * University of Pennsylvania Targeted
  * Targeted Universities
  * Trump's Pressure Campaign
  * Federal Funds Freeze

Advertisement

SKIP ADVERTISEMENT
You have a preview view of this article while we are checking your
access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will
load.

Supported by

SKIP ADVERTISEMENT

Trump Administration Says It Is Halting Harvard's Ability to Enroll
International Students

The move was a major escalation in the administration's efforts to
pressure the college to fall in line with President Trump's demands.

Listen to this article * 7:26 min Learn more

  * Share full article
  * 
  * 
  * 2.8k
    2844

People outside Harvard's business school, an older brick building
with columns.
The Harvard campus this month. The administration notified the
university in recent days about its decision to halt Harvard's
ability to enroll international students.Credit...Sophie Park for The
New York Times
Michael S. SchmidtMichael C. Bender

By Michael S. Schmidt and Michael C. Bender

Michael S. Schmidt reported from New York, and Michael C. Bender from
Washington.

May 22, 2025Updated 6:47 p.m. ET
Leer en espanol

The Trump administration on Thursday halted Harvard University's
ability to enroll international students, taking aim at a crucial
funding source for the nation's oldest and wealthiest college in a
major escalation of the administration's efforts to pressure the
elite school to fall in line with the president's agenda.

The administration notified Harvard about the decision -- which could
affect about a quarter of the school's student body -- after a
back-and-forth in recent weeks over the legality of a sprawling
records request as part of the Department of Homeland Security's
investigation, according to three people with knowledge of the
negotiations. The people spoke on the condition of anonymity because
they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.

The latest move intensifies the administration's attempt to upend the
culture of higher education by directly subverting the ability of one
of the nation's premier universities to attract the best and
brightest students from all over the world. That capability, across
all of academia, has long been one of the greatest sources of
academic, economic and scientific strength in America.

It is also likely to prompt a second legal challenge from Harvard,
according to another person familiar with the school's thinking who
insisted on anonymity to discuss private deliberations. The
university sued the Trump administration last month over the
government's attempt to impose changes to its curriculum, admissions
policies and hiring practices.

"I am writing to inform you that effective immediately, Harvard
University's Student and Exchange Visitor Program certification is
revoked," according to a letter to the university by Kristi Noem, the
homeland security secretary. A copy of the letter was obtained by The
New York Times.

The Department of Homeland Security said the action applied to
current and future students.

"Harvard can no longer enroll foreign students, and existing foreign
students must transfer or lose their legal status," the department
said in a news release on Thursday after Ms. Noem posted the
administration's letter on social media.

We are having trouble retrieving the article content.

Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in
Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe
 for all of The Times.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Thank you for your patience while we verify access.

Already a subscriber? Log in.

Want all of The Times? Subscribe.

Advertisement

SKIP ADVERTISEMENT

Site Index

Site Information Navigation

  * (c) 2025 The New York Times Company

  * NYTCo
  * Contact Us
  * Accessibility
  * Work with us
  * Advertise
  * T Brand Studio
  * Your Ad Choices
  * Privacy Policy
  * Terms of Service
  * Terms of Sale
  * Site Map
  * Canada
  * International
  * Help
  * Subscriptions

  * Manage Privacy Preferences