The ban on Harvard’s ability to enroll international students is reduced to only individuals deemed a national security risk. The move comes less than a week after a federal judge blocked the government’s ability to enforce the ban. The policy applies to all international students at Harvard regardless of their visa program.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) initially revoked Harvard’s ability to enroll foreign students on May 22, 2025, due to the school’s alleged inability to handle the protests that swept its’ campus in 2024. The university sued the department, winning a temporary restraining order on enforcement of the ban. A U.S. district judge then expanded the order by issuing a preliminary injunction last week.

The government then responded by changing its approach, arguing that the Immigration and Nationality Act gives it the authority to restrict foreign nationals. Citing Harvard’s refusal to provide the DHS with information on several international students, the government argues it had to step in and discern for themselves if any international student posed a national security threat. The government then revoked $2.2 billion in federal funding in response to Harvard’s lawsuit.

The government will continue to pursue the Harvard ban. The ban also mandates all foreign students currently at Harvard to transfer schools or lose their legal status. The shift in justification hasn’t changed the mandate. About 25,000 Harvard students come from abroad, accounting for nearly a quarter of its student population.

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