What Trump's Harvard Visa Restriction Means for International Students

Yahoo

05-06-2025

University banners hang outside Widener Library during Harvard's commencement, in Cambridge, Mass., May 29, 2025. Credit - Rick Friedman—AFP/Getty Images
President Donald Trump has escalated his standoff with Harvard University, seeking another path to prevent international students from attending the school after a judge blocked an attempt to revoke Harvard's ability to enroll international students.
'I have determined that the entry of the class of foreign nationals described above is detrimental to the interests of the United States because, in my judgment, Harvard's conduct has rendered it an unsuitable destination for foreign students and researchers,' Trump said Wednesday, the same day he issued a 'travel ban' restricting nationals from 19 countries on entering the U.S., in a proclamation that seeks to limit foreigners' ability to travel to the U.S. to study at Harvard.
'This is yet another illegal retaliatory step taken by the Administration in violation of Harvard's First Amendment rights,' the university said in a statement. 'Harvard will continue to take steps to protect the rights of our international students and scholars, members of our community who are vital to the University's academic mission and community—and whose presence here benefits our country immeasurably,' it said in a previous statement. The university has not responded to queries from TIME about how exactly it plans to respond to the proclamation.
The proclamation comes days after the State Department reportedly instructed embassies and consulates to increase vetting of visa applicants looking to travel to Harvard for any purpose—with the word 'any' underlined and bolded. Last week, the State Department paused the scheduling of new student visa interviews at embassies across the world to look into intensifying the scrutiny of applicants' social media accounts, citing concerns about antisemitism and terrorism.
Harvard has also faced the threat of federal funding cuts and the rescinding of its tax-exempt status. The Cambridge, Mass.-based university is one of several elite higher education institutions in the U.S. that have come under attack by the Trump Administration.
Here's what to know.
The proclamation suspends the entry of foreign nationals seeking to study or participate in exchange programs at Harvard, effective immediately. After 90 days, it will be reassessed for extension; otherwise, it will expire in six months.
The proclamation applies to those who attempt to enter the country to attend Harvard through the Student Exchange Visa Program. It does not apply to those attending other universities through SEVP. It also directs Secretary of State Marco Rubio to 'consider' on a case-by-case basis whether foreign nationals who attend Harvard and are already in the U.S. under F, M, or J visas should have their visas revoked.
The order allows for exceptions to be made for those 'whose entry would be in the national interest,' as determined by Rubio, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, or their respective designees.
Read More: Harvard's International Students Left in Limbo Amid Legal Battle With Trump Administration
Harvard currently has nearly 7,000 international students, representing more than a quarter of its enrollees. Several universities across the globe have already offered to accept impacted students.
If international students are forced to transfer, Harvard would suffer financially, as many international students pay full tuition and other associated costs of attendance, which can be as high as about $87,000 per year for undergraduates to $102,000 per year for some graduate students.
The latest proclamation comes as Trump's second-term Administration has already sought to cancel thousands of international students' visas across the country, before abruptly reversing course. Recently, the Administration has also targeted students from China, who account for nearly a quarter of all international students in the U.S., citing national security concerns.
According to the latest proclamation, the government has concluded 'Harvard University is no longer a trustworthy steward of international student and exchange visitor programs.'
The proclamation points to concerns about crime; insufficient cooperation with the Department of Homeland Security; foreign entanglements, including with China; and alleged civil rights violations.
'Crime rates at Harvard University—including violent crime rates—have drastically risen in recent years,' the proclamation asserts, adding that the university 'has failed to discipline at least some categories of conduct violations on campus.'
It also alleges that Harvard 'has refused the recent requests of the DHS for information about foreign students' 'known illegal activity,' 'known dangerous and violent activity,' 'known threats to other students or university personnel,' 'known deprivation of rights of other classmates or university personnel,' and whether those activities 'occurred on campus,' and other related data.' It concluded: 'Harvard's actions show that it either is not fully reporting its disciplinary records for foreign students or is not seriously policing its foreign students.'
The proclamation also cites student newspaper the Harvard Crimson, which reported earlier this year that the university has received over $150 million in funding from foreign governments, more than any of its Ivy League peers. A university spokesperson told the Crimson that donations are used to fund financial aid as well as educational and operational expenses. Trump's latest proclamation also cited a May letter by the Republican-led House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party that alleged 'Harvard repeatedly hosted and trained members of a CCP paramilitary organization.'
Lastly, the proclamation claimed that Harvard 'continues to flout the civil rights of its students and faculty.' It referred to the 2023 Supreme Court case Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. President and Fellows of Harvard College, in which admissions policies that consider race as a factor were ruled unconstitutional, to suggest that the university engages in 'blatant' 'discrimination against disfavored races.' Harvard, the proclamation alleged, continues to 'deny hardworking Americans equal opportunities,' while it 'admits students from non-egalitarian nations, including nations that seek the destruction of the United States and its allies, or the extermination of entire peoples.'
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