Trump bans Harvard from admitting new international students

President Donald Trump has revoked Harvard University's permission to host incoming international students, the latest escalation in an ongoing battle between the White House and the country's oldest university.

In an executive order issued June 4, Trump declared that Harvard's admission of international students represents a threat to the United States. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem had previously threatened to halt Harvard's international program, but a federal judge temporarily blocked her from following through.

In his new order, Trump listed a litany of grievances against the university, which he accuses of failing to protect Jewish students from pro-Palestinian protesters. He also noted that Harvard has long used race as a factor in admissions, which led the Supreme Court in 2023 to strike down race-based admissions policies nationwide.

"It is not in the interest of the United States to further compound Harvard's discrimination against non-preferred races, national origins, shared ancestries, or religions by further reducing opportunities for American students through excessive foreign student enrollment," Trump said in his order. "Considering these facts, I have determined that it is necessary to restrict the entry of foreign nationals who seek to enter the United States solely or principally to participate in a course of study at Harvard University or in an exchange visitor program hosted by Harvard University."

The White House has repeatedly clashed with Harvard over its refusal to accede to demands for information about student protesters and for an outside review of classes and instructors.

More than 25% of Harvard's total student population are international students, with about 6,800 students from about 140 counties enrolled this academic year. Trump's order applies to new students who would be arriving to study at Harvard, and asks Secretary of State Marco Rubio to consider whether to also revoke the visas of current international students.

"In my judgment, Harvard's conduct has rendered it an unsuitable destination for foreign students and researchers," Trump said.

There are about 1.2 million international students in the United States. The largest two home countries are India and China, according to federal records.