The Trump government’s decision, on Thursday (22), to revoke Harvard University permission to enroll international students raise significant questions about the impact on the school community and its academic research.
The US internal security department has ordered the cancellation of the University’s student and exchange visitors certification from the University, preventing the institution of the Ivy League from receiving foreign students, representing more than a quarter of the student population.
The measure drastically aggravated the university dispute with the White House on federal funding, after the Trump government froze $ 2.2 billion in funds last month, when Harvard said it would not meet its requirements, including the renovation of its international students program.
Harvard was the first academic institution to reject important political changes that the Trump government demanded from US elite universities.
The university has classified the department’s action to prohibit it from enrolling international students such as “illegal” and said it was working “to quickly provide guidance and support to members of our community.”
What is the Harvard International Student Population?
In the school year of 2024-2025, there were 6,793 international students enrolled at Harvard University, representing about 27% of the total enrollment.
The decision of the US government will impact a substantial portion of the university community, with its international academic population composed of 9,970 people, the institution said.
Harvard said he was “committed to maintaining our ability to receive our students and international academics, who come from over 140 countries and enrich the university and this nation,” according to a statement on their website.
What are the options for current international students in Harvard?
In a letter to Harvard, the internal security secretary, Kristi Noem, said that the revocation of the institution’s student and exchange visitor certification (SEVP) means that the university is prohibited from enrolling any “non -immigrant F or J non or J” status for the next school year.
It also means that foreign students in this category “must transfer to another university to maintain their status as non -immigrant,” the letter says.
Education institutions are required to have the SEVP certification with the US Immigration and Customs Service to admit candidates with a F-1 or M-1 student visa. Institutions are required to provide up -to -date basic information about each student to SEVP, including their address and academic status.
International students in institutions that have lost SEVP certification are usually allowed to try to transfer to a different certified school before they need to leave the country.
ICE guidelines state that SEVP -certified schools have “serious legal obligations” with the student and the US government.
“SEVP will exercise all US government authority to protect it and institute sanctions against any school that disrespects its responsibilities,” according to the ICE newsletter.
Hundreds of international students had their student records – known as Sevis – canceled and later restored in the DHS database to track its immigration status and maintain information about SEVP.
Bradley Bruce Banias is a lawyer who represents several of these students who processed the administration by canceling their status.
“The Ice continues to prioritize the policy to the detriment of the rule of law, apparently ignoring binding regulations and, again, terrorizing foreign students,” he told the CNN This Thursday.
Banias, which does not represent any Harvard student, suggested that some students may choose to request tourist visas so that they can stay in the US while the case unfolds, with the hope that a judge will intervene and issue a temporary restriction order on the “unprecedented” decision.
How will the decision impact university research?
Some Harvard employees fear that the loss of foreign students at the university may undermine the academic performance of both the institution and potentially the American academy as a whole.
“We are working quickly to provide guidance and support to members of our community. This retaliatory action threatens to cause serious damage to the Harvard community and our country, as well as undermine Harvard’s academic and research mission,” said University spokesman Jason Newton.
Harvard economy teacher and former Obama government official Jason Furman called the “horrible at all levels.”
“It’s impossible to imagine Harvard without our amazing international students. They are a huge benefit for everyone here, for innovation and the United States in general,” Funan said. “Higher education is one of the great exports of the United States and a key source of our soft power. I hope this will be interrupted quickly before damage worsens.”
Another teacher familiar with the situation said to CNN That, if the policy comes into force, he fears that “many laboratories will be empty.”
Some Harvard research is already facing direct impacts on last month’s federal funding freeze: Harvard Medical School is preparing for possible layoffs and the Public Health School, which later received three research stoppage orders, is ending two lease contracts in buildings outside the campus.
How will this impact Harvard financially?
International students are more likely to pay full tuition at US colleges, in part because most are not eligible for federal financial aid, which brings significant financing to colleges.
More than three rooms of international students fund their education mainly on their own, through the family or current employment, the Institute of International Education found. Less than one fifth received primary financing from his college or American University.
Noem stated in April that Harvard “depends strongly on the financing of foreign students … to build and maintain his substantial heritage fund.”
Although Harvard is the oldest and oldest university in the country, with a huge $ 53.2 billion heritage fund that could help complement any cuts, experts and an analysis of Harvard finances show the challenges of accessing this heritage fund, said the CNN previously.
Heritage funds cannot be accessed at any time, such as bank accounts. They need to be kept perpetually and are widely restricted by law.
Harvard says he has been financing two thirds of their operating expenses with other sources, including federal research scholarships and student tuition.
Approximately 80% of the Harvard Heritage Fund is intended for financial aid, scholarships, chairs, academic programs or other projects, according to the institution. The remaining 20% is intended for the maintenance of the institution for the coming years.
Part of the unrestricted money is invested in illiquid assets such as hedge funds, private equity and real estate, which cannot be easily sold.
This content was originally published in a ban on foreign students in Harvard: Understand what is at stake on CNN Brazil.
Source: CNN Brasil
Bruce Belcher is a seasoned author with over 5 years of experience in world news. He writes for online news websites and provides in-depth analysis on the world stock market. Bruce is known for his insightful perspectives and commitment to keeping the public informed.
