The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) blocked the enrollment of new F-1 students at Harvard, citing the university’s inability to deal with individuals supposedly harboring pro-terrorist views on its’ campus. Additionally, the department mandated all international students currently at the university transfer schools. Students who don’t transfer will lose their removal protections.
The government has repeatedly accused the university of failing to properly deal with the protests that occurred on its’ campus in 2024. Then, April 16, 2025, the DHS requested information on multiple international students. Harvard claims it provided the requested information on April 30.
The DHS stated Harvard’s response was insufficient, which led to the subsequent removal of its’ Student and Visitor Exchange Program (SEVP) certification. On May 23, 2025, Harvard filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, arguing the ban on enrolling new F-1 students is politically motivated. The government also froze over two billion dollars in federal funding to the university.
Harvard argues that the government imposed increasingly strict requirements for the continuation of federal funding in the weeks leading up to the ban. Almost all these conditions mandated the university make significant changes to its’ admission system, hiring process, and academic programs. The university claims that the ban on enrolling new F-1 students came despite its cooperation with the government’s requests. The same day Harvard issued its’ suit, a federal judge placed the F-1 enrollment ban on hold until the case’s resolution. On May 27, 2025, the government responded by announcing plans to cease all federal funding to the university.
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