Harvard University’s foreign student program has been “terminated” by order of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, citing antisemitism and ties to the Chinese Communist Party, likely to impact nearly 30% of the school’s student population.
The Ivy League school’s student and exchange visitor program certification has been terminated, meaning the university can no longer enroll international students. Additionally, the order advises existing foreign students to transfer if they don’t want to lose their legal status.
Noem accuses Harvard of creating an “unsafe campus environment by permitting anti-American, pro-terrorist agitators to harass and physically assault individual,” citing several Jewish students. The secretary added that many of the “agitators are foreign students.”
The secretary accuses the university leadership of facilitating and engaging in “coordinated activity with the CCP, including hosting and training members of a CCP paramilitary group complicit in the Uyghur genocide.”
“This administration is holding Harvard accountable for fostering violence, antisemitism, and coordinating with the Chinese Communist Party on its campus,” said Noem. “It is a privilege, not a right, for universities to enroll foreign students and benefit from their higher tuition payments to help pad their multibillion-dollar endowments.
“Harvard had plenty of opportunity to do the right thing. It refused. They have lost their Student and Exchange Visitor Program certification as a result of their failure to adhere to the law. Let this serve as a warning to all universities and academic institutions across the country.”
In April, Noem “demanded” the university “provide information” regarding the “criminality and misconduct of foreign students” on campus. She warned the school that if they didn’t comply with her order, the agency would terminate the university’s foreign student program.
Noem defended the action from DHS, saying the university “brazenly” ignored the request, adding that she is “following through on her promise to protect students and prohibit terrorist sympathizers from receiving benefits from the U.S. government.”
Also in April, the Harvard Crimson, the student newspaper, reported that three students and two recent graduates had their student visas revoked. The Harvard International Office said it was unaware of the “details of the revocations or the reasons for them.”
Noem cited several examples of alleged antisemitism as reasons for terminating the foreign student program. She also cited increased crime, DEI practices and close ties to the CCP. The secretary noted that the university has received $151 million from foreign governments since January 2020.
This past academic year, for 2024-2025, the university had 6,793 foreign students enrolled, comprising 27% of the student population, according to Harvard data. The number of foreign students has nearly doubled in the last 20 years. During the 2006-2007 academic year, the university had 3,941 foreign students enrolled, comprising 19.6% of the student population.
Harvard spokesperson Jason A. Newton told the Harvard Crimson that the DHS’s move was “unlawful” and that the university is “fully committed” to maintaining the school’s foreign student program.
“This retaliatory action threatens serious harm to the Harvard community and our country, and undermines Harvard’s academic and research mission,” Newton wrote in a statement.
