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The Trump administration has moved to bar Harvard University from enrolling foreign students, sharply escalating its attacks on the Ivy League school.
Secretary of homeland security Kristi Noem sent a letter to Harvard on Thursday telling its administration that the university’s student and exchange visitor programme certification had been revoked “effective immediately”.
The action would affect the admission of students for the coming academic year, but the administration also said it expected existing international students to switch to other universities.
“It is a privilege, not a right, for universities to enrol foreign students and benefit from their higher tuition payments to help pad their multibillion-dollar endowments,” Noem wrote on X.
“Let this serve as a warning to all universities and academic institutions across the country.”
The move follows weeks of pressure on the university and other elite institutions in the US, including cuts by the Trump administration to billions of dollars of federal funding for Harvard and others.
Noem’s letter represents a significant blow to Harvard, which relies significantly on international students to generate tuition income. More than a quarter of its student intake comes from abroad.
The government has also demanded tight supervision over Harvard’s governance, while the university has sued the Trump administration, amid concerns about a crackdown on free speech and academic freedom.
Harvard did not immediately reply to a request to comment.
This is a developing story
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