A district judge in the United States, Allison Burroughs, has issued a temporary restraining order against President Donald Trump’s attempt to ban Harvard University from admitting foreign students.
Background
Trouble started in early January 2025 when Trump directed the institution to report international students accused of misconduct to his administration, regardless of the degree, and called for Harvard to eliminate its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programmes.
In May, Linda McMahon, the U.S. education secretary, in a letter dated May 5, 2025, threatened that the institution would no longer receive research grants unless it addressed concerns about antisemitism on its campus.
A few days later, Trump announced the halt of $2.2 billion in federal grants to Harvard University and White House issued a proclamation dated June 4, stating that the restriction on Harvard “is for crucial national-security reasons,” accusing the top-rated research institution of failing to respect U.S. law.
The president stated that the Student Exchange Visa Program (SEVP) used by foreign students to enroll in Harvard had been exploited by “foreign adversaries and competitors” to gain access to American higher institutions, citing warnings from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
The proclamation specifically mentioned the People’s Republic of China as one of the adversaries that “take advantage of American higher education by exploiting the student visa program for improper purposes.”
But Harvard responded that the excuse of national security being used by the Trump administration was “a government vendetta” in an amended lawsuit before a court, culminating in a district judge stepping in to prevent “irreparable injury before there is an opportunity to hear from all parties,” Burroughs said.
The judge stated that her order shall remain in effect “until further order of this Court.”
Although Harvard isn’t among the top 10 U.S. higher institutions with the highest enrolment of international students, Harvard Magazine says it admitted 6,793 international students in the 2024/2025 academic year, representing 27.3 percent of its student population for the year.
As of 2024, Harvard University is rated the richest research institution because of an endowment valued at $51.9 billion, according to the National Association of College and University Business Officers.
But since the row began, students have seen their Student Exchange Visa Program revoked randomly and a pause in foreign student visa interviews.
Harvard has vowed to fully challenge the presidential order “to maintaining Harvard’s ability to host” international students and scholars, “who hail from more than 140 countries,” saying international students enrich its university system.
A hearing is expected in mid-June 2025 to listen to arguments over whether to block Trump’s proclamation indefinitely.
Trump’s order against Harvard has generated widespread condemnation among foreign students and researchers around the world.
Join EdubaseNG WhatsApp Channel to get the latest education & student loan tips
Join our Telegram Channel to get the latest news about Student Loans & Education News.
Are you a stakeholder in education? You can become our guest writer. Write to us using our our email address here
