Trump administration threatens to prevent Harvard from accepting international students.

U.S. President Donald Trump hosted Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and her officials in the Cabinet Room at the White House on April 17, 2025, in Washington, DC. Win Mcnamee | Getty Images

The Trump administration is moving forward with plans to revoke Harvard University’s ability to enroll international students, intensifying its conflict with the Ivy League institution over claims of campus antisemitism and discrimination. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem sent a letter on Wednesday warning Harvard that its certification to accept foreign students is “contingent upon” adherence to federal immigration rules under Title 8.

“It is a privilege to have foreign students attend Harvard University; it is not a guarantee,” Noem stated. She accused the university of fostering “a hostile learning environment for Jewish students” due to its “failure to condemn antisemitism.”

All U.S. educational institutions must be certified through the federal Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) to host international students. In a Wednesday announcement, the Department of Homeland Security revealed that Noem canceled two grants to Harvard worth a total of $2.7 million, deeming the school “unfit to be entrusted with taxpayer dollars.”

The letter from Noem marks another instance of President Donald Trump pressing Harvard and other prestigious educational institutions while threatening their financial assistance. The letter specifically mentioned that Harvard “relies heavily on foreign student funding” to sustain its “substantial endowment.”

As of the fall 2023 semester, international students accounted for over 27% of Harvard’s total enrollment, based on university statistics. Noem also stated that Harvard’s SEVP certification will be automatically revoked unless it responds to a request for information regarding its student visa holders by April 30.

Some institutions have chosen to comply: Columbia University agreed last month to fulfill a list of conditions to negotiate over the Trump administration’s cancellation of $400 million in federal funding. However, Harvard has declined to meet the government’s demands, which included scrapping all diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs and reforming its hiring and student discipline policies.

In rejecting these demands, Harvard President Alan Garber accused the Trump administration of attempting to impose “direct governmental regulation of the ‘intellectual conditions’ at Harvard.” In response, the administration froze $2.2 billion in grants and $60 million in contracts with the university.

A Harvard spokesperson confirmed on Thursday that the institution is aware of Noem’s letter, which follows their statement asserting that Harvard will not compromise its independence or constitutional rights. “We will continue to comply with the law and expect the administration to do the same,” the spokesperson noted.

In justifying its unprecedented actions against higher education, the Trump administration has frequently referenced the protests at numerous universities criticizing Israel’s actions following the terrorist attacks by Hamas on October 7, 2023. Noem stated in her press release, “Harvard bending the knee to antisemitism—driven by its spineless leadership—fuels a cesspool of extremist riots and threatens our national security. With anti-American, pro-Hamas ideology poisoning its campus and classrooms, Harvard’s position as a top institution of higher learning is a distant memory. America demands more from universities entrusted with taxpayer dollars.”