Trump's bid to bar foreign enrolments at Harvard unnerves students despite judge reprieve

Judge temporarily blocks Trump administration's move to send enrolled foreign students home and stop others from coming

Global outcry has followed the decision by President Donald Trump's administration to bar Harvard University from enrolling foreign students, though a judge temporarily blocked the move on Friday.

A federal judge put a restraining order in place stopping the removal of Harvard’s certification in the Student and Exchange Visitor Programme, which allows it to host international students with visas to study in the US.

The administration's move, announced on Thursday by the Department of Homeland Security, caused a global outcry, with the government saying it was holding Harvard “accountable for fostering violence, anti-Semitism and co-ordinating with the Chinese Communist Party on its campus”.

“Harvard can no longer enrol foreign students and existing foreign students must transfer or lose their legal status,” a statement added.

Mr Trump said on Friday: "As you know, billions of dollars has been paid to Harvard. How ridiculous is that - billions and they have $52 billion as an endowment ... So Harvard is going to have to change its ways."

Germany blasted the “fatal” decision, with Research Minister Dorothee Baer telling the Bayern 2 radio station the move was “not a positive signal, neither for the young generation nor the free world”. German government spokesman Sebastian Hille told reporters that “restrictions on academic freedom are restrictions on democracy itself”.

"It is definitely shocking and and uncomfortable for all of us," Michael Gritzback, a German student studying at Harvard, told Reuters.

Harvard has a significant foreign student population, with 9,970 people in its international academic population. Data shows that 6,793 international students make up 27.2 per cent of its enrolment in the 2024-25 academic year.

There are currently 14 Emirati students and scholars on the university's books, according to statistics on its website.

The Chinese government said the decision would harm America's international standing, with state broadcaster CCTV questioning whether the US would remain a top destination for foreign students, the Associated Press reported. The two largest contingents of the international student community at Harvard are Chinese and Indian students.

"Ever since I was a kid, Harvard has represented the epitome of higher education globally," Fangzhou Jiang, a Chinese student at Harvard, said. "[The reaction to the decision] is a mixture of shock to, then, devastation, frustration, uncertainty, anxiety."

Princess Elisabeth of Belgium is pursuing a two-year master's degree at the university. AP File

Belgium's Princess Elisabeth – the country's future queen – is pursuing a two-year master's degree at the university and, as a foreign student, her place would probably not be secure. A spokesman said the palace was “analysing” the decision and its “potential impact” on the crown princess, Reuters reported.

Families looking outside US

Responding to the news, Varun Jain, chief executive of UAE education consultancy firm UniHawk, told The National the decision has affected the perception that the US is the “place where people build their dreams, especially through education”.

“Europe and Australia are becoming increasingly popular among international and expatriate students,” he said. “Families are actively seeking backup plans outside the US due to increased uncertainty.”

Mr Jain said Washington's move has pushed parents to “explore and prioritise alternatives more seriously than before”.

To those considering their own applications, his advice is to “stay as informed and flexible” as possible. “Students have to watch the proceedings to see how it affects each individual case. There's not much else to do but observe and monitor,” he added.

Existential battle

In a statement to The National, Harvard said the US government's action was unlawful.

“We are fully committed to maintaining Harvard’s ability to host international students and scholars, who hail from more than 140 countries and enrich the university – and this nation – immeasurably.

“We are working quickly to provide guidance and support to members of our community. This retaliatory action threatens serious harm to the Harvard community and our country, and undermines Harvard’s academic and research mission.”

The Trump administration froze billions of dollars in funding for the university earlier this month over allegations that it was not doing enough to stop on-campus anti-Semitism, following a wave of pro-Palestine protests last year.

The university filed a lawsuit against the administration after it made a series of demands, including that the administration be sent any reports by the university’s anti-Semitism task force, any drafts of those reports, and the names of anyone involved in “preparing and editing the report”.