Note: all information is up-to-date as of Friday, 6th June 2025

Harvard University is without a doubt one of the most prestigious, competitive universities in the world. Between world-class academics, a beautiful campus, and accomplished alumni, it is no surprise that many students around the world dream of going there one day.

However, this may not be feasible for much longer.

On the 4th of June, news broke that President Trump would be cracking down on the university's admission of international students, saying that he would "prevent Harvard University's international students from entering the country." He even proclaimed that he plans to "revoke current visas" for Harvard's students (New York Times, 2025).

This news is particularly shocking because, just a couple of days ago, it seemed like Harvard had the upper hand in this legal battle. To properly understand where this disheartening move came from, we must look into why Trump really has it out for Harvard in the first place.

Image Credit: Clay Banks from Unsplash

Why does Trump have it out for Harvard?

Trump has proclaimed time and time again that he is unhappy with Harvard due to their inaction against anti-semitism on campus. However, this is deeply ironic and hypocritical given that many of the January 6th protesters he pardoned upon taking office are openly anti-semitic.

Some people hypothesised that Trump's beef with the educational institute stemmed from his not getting into Harvard. However, in a post on his social media company, Truth Social, he proclaimed that this story was "totally FALSE" and that he "never applied to Harvard".

The true reason why the president is coming after Harvard is because they are one of the very few organisations to stand up to him in the face of unjust policies, such as banning international students and restricting free speech. Experts warn that, if the United States' oldest university gives in to Trump, "the door to authoritarianism opens" and "democracy fades" (The Guardian, 2025).

Image Credit: Daniel Torok from Wikimedia Commons

Take the Quiz: What Kind of Political Personality Are You?

Ever wondered what role you’d play in the political world? Take this fun quiz to find out!

A Brief Timeline of this Legal Battle

The issues between Harvard and President Trump began in February when the Department of Justice's Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism opened an investigation against ten universities, including Harvard. This, they claimed, was due to pro-Palestine protests at these universities.

Leo Terrell, the leader of this task force, even told Fox News that he would "bankrupt these universities" and "take away every single federal dollar". Terrell went on to warn these universities that they should "lawyer up" because "the federal government is coming for [them]". A few days later, Harvard and 59 other universities were informed that they were under investigation for "civil rights violations". This is when the situation changed from an inquiry to a witch-hunt of sorts against liberal arts colleges.

April was when President Trump began removing federal funding for colleges such as Harvard, Columbia, and Brown. He sent Harvard a long letter with a list of demands the university would need to fulfill in order to get their funding back, such as removing DEI programs, adopting "viewpoint diversity" in all faculties, and auditing departments including languages, Middle Eastern studies, Gender studies, Human Rights, and more.

Harvard soon made this letter public on their website, further angering the Trump administration, along with a message from university president Alan Garber. Garber refused to abide by the White House's demands, writing that "The University will not surrender its independence or relinquish its constitutional rights" and that "No government – regardless of which party is in power – should dictate what private universities can teach, whom they can admit and hire, and which areas of study and inquiry they can pursue."

Image Credit: Manu Ros from Unsplash

Following a complicated legal back-and-forth, May saw the Trump administration rescinding Harvard's tax-exempt status and cutting off all federally funded research grants to the university.

On the 22nd of May came the biggest blow thus far to Harvard: the Department of Homeland Security revoked Harvard's certification to enroll international students. The very next day, Harvard sued the administration, and Judge Allison D. Burroughs swiftly blocked the effort to remove this certification.

It finally seemed like Harvard would emerge victorious from this tumultuous legal battle. However, this was short-lived: Trump signed a proclamation on the 4th of June to suspend the entry of foreign nationals seeking to study or participate in exchange programs at Harvard University. According to the White House's official website, this is due to "national security" concerns.

Harvard's Reaction

This bombshell news from the White House has disheartened many students around the world, everyone at Harvard, and members of the global academic community. In response to this decision, Harvard amended its lawsuit against the Trump administration to reverse the proclamation.

Harvard's spokesperson, Jason Newton, said that this proclamation was "yet another illegal retaliatory step taken by the administration in violation of Harvard’s First Amendment rights." Newton went on to assert that Harvard would "continue to protect its international students".

Image Credit: Emily Karakis from Unsplash

What does it mean for the rest of us?

President Trump's relentless attacks against liberal arts colleges, especially Harvard, are worrying for universities and colleges across the United States. If the President can simply stop universities from teaching certain courses, prevent them from doing research, and dictate who they can and can't admit, where do we draw the line? Can democracy truly be upheld?

However, this decision affects more than just international students and other universities—it impacts the American economy too. International students make up about 5.9% of all American tertiary students, contributing around $50B USD to their economy annually (Statista, 2023). In comparison, approximately a quarter of Harvard's student body comes from other countries, driving the economy in Boston.

Numerous American entrepreneurs and other professionals started off as international students. As a matter of fact, an estimated 50-70% of American jobs in mathematical and materials science-related fields are held by former international students! (Forbes, 2022) Without these students, American companies may struggle to fill key positions in these fields.

Image Credit: Soham Kelkar from Wikimedia Commons

President Trump's proclamation is going to negatively impact people in both the United States and globally. We can only wish that Harvard's legal battle pays off, since a loss for them sets a dangerous precedent for other liberal arts colleges. Until then, let's just hope that free speech and equity prevail.