Harvard Row: Why was Harvard banned from admitting foreign students, what is the impact of Trump’s decision on India?

Major action on Harvard University – Photo: ANI

US President Donald Trump’s administration has revoked Harvard University’s eligibility to admit foreign students. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem wrote a letter to Harvard informing it of this.

Harvard University will no longer be able to admit foreign students. The Donald Trump administration in the US has blocked Harvard University’s ability to enroll international students amid growing conflict with the Ivy League school. After this decision, Harvard will no longer be able to register foreign students for the time being nor will it be able to admit such students. The decision also said that thousands of existing students will have to transfer to other schools or leave the country.

Understand ‘Ivy League School’

‘Ivy League School’ means a group of eight most prestigious private universities in the northeastern United States, known for their excellent studies, excellence and social prestige. These universities are – Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, Princeton, University of Pennsylvania and Yale.

Accused of being a supporter of terrorism and conspiring with China

The Department of Homeland Security announced the action on Thursday May 22 ,2025 (IST) saying that Harvard has created an unsafe environment by allowing anti-American, pro-terrorism agitators to attack Jewish students on campus. The order also accused Harvard of coordinating with the Chinese Communist Party. The order further said that Harvard hosted and trained members of a Chinese paramilitary group. The latest incident occurred in 2024.

Is this legally correct?

Under US law, the Department of Homeland Security has jurisdiction over student visas. It oversees the SEVP. By revoking Harvard’s SEVP certification, DHS is essentially preventing the university from legitimately hosting foreign students. Institutions have been removed from the SEVP list before, such actions are usually taken for serious administrative lapses such as loss of accreditation, lack of qualified faculty or closure of the institution. Experts say the current action against Harvard is unprecedented.

Indian students will also be affected

Trump’s decision will also affect many Indians. Indian students who are studying at Harvard or who are preparing to enroll there this year will have to face problems due to this decision of America. According to Harvard’s official documents, about 1000 Indian students enroll here every year. This year 788 Indian students were enrolled at Harvard.

Indians contribute more than US $9 billion annually
Indian students contribute more than US $9 billion annually to the US economy. They strengthen cultural and economic ties between the two countries. Both countries often lead innovation in technology, medicine and other fields.

Students come from more than 100 countries

Harvard enrolls approximately 6,800 foreign students at its campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts. This represents more than a quarter of its student body. Most of them are graduate students, who come from more than 100 countries.