The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has revoked Harvard University’s certification to enroll international students on Thursday, 22 May, escalating an ongoing dispute between the Trump administration and the university.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced on Thursday that Harvard’s Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) certification had been revoked due to what she described as the university’s “failure to adhere to the law.”
In a statement, Harvard called the move “unlawful” and expressed concern over its potential impact on the university’s academic and research mission.
The institution emphasized its commitment to supporting international students and scholars, who represent over 140 countries and make up 27 percent of its student body in the last academic year.
The decision means Harvard will be unable to enroll international students holding F- or J- visas for the upcoming 2025–2026 academic year. Affected students would be required to transfer to other institutions in order to maintain their legal status in the United States.
The administration has given Harvard 72 hours to comply with a list of demands in order to regain its certification.
These include providing disciplinary records for non-immigrant students over the past five years, as well as electronic documentation of any “illegal” or “violent” activity involving international students on campus.
This development follows months of heightened tension between Harvard and the Trump administration.
In April, Harvard filed a lawsuit challenging what it described as retaliatory measures after receiving an extensive list of federal demands.
The administration had previously threatened to revoke the university’s tax-exempt status and freeze government funding unless changes were made to its admissions, hiring, and teaching policies in response to concerns about antisemitism on campus.
The move is part of broader efforts by the administration to review and restrict international student programs across the United States, sparking legal challenges and uncertainty at other academic institutions.
A federal judge in California on Thursday temporarily blocked the administration from revoking the legal status of international students nationwide while court challenges proceed.
The decision comes amid a broader crackdown on pro-Palestinian protests that swept U.S. campuses in March and April 2024. In response, federal authorities increased immigration enforcement targeting foreign students involved in the demonstrations.
One such case was the arrest of Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian graduate student at Columbia, who was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) despite holding permanent residency, a move that sparked widespread criticism from civil rights groups.
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