Harvard University may lose the ability to enroll foreign students if it does not comply with the policy changes suggested by the Trump administration, US Department of Homeland Security said on Wednesday.
Days after the government stripped the Ivy League university of federal funding and contracts worth over 2 billion, the DHS also terminated grants totaling over $2.7 million over “illegal and violent activities.”
Also read: Donald Trump issues new threat after Harvard University defies US govt demands
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem demanded records of the violent activities of foreign student visa holders by April 30 in a letter.
“And if Harvard cannot verify it is in full compliance with its reporting requirements, the university will lose the privilege of enrolling foreign students,” Noem said in a statement.
“With a $53.2 billion endowment, Harvard can fund its own chaos — DHS won’t,” Noem said, adding an “anti-American, pro-Hamas ideology” existed at Harvard.
Also read: Why Trump’s $2 billion cut to Harvard could change US higher education forever
Trump, in his crackdown on educational campuses, has threatened universities with federal funding cuts over pro-Palestinian campus protests against US ally Israel’s devastating military assault on Gaza after a deadly October 2023 attack by Palestinian Hamas militants.
The Trump administration is also attempting to deport some foreign protesters and has revoked hundreds of visas across the country.
The funding freeze followed Harvard’s refusal last week to comply with administration demands for policy changes and regular progress reports.
University President Alan Garber said in a statement: “No government — regardless of which party is in power — should dictate what private universities can teach, whom they can admit and hire, and which areas of study and inquiry they can pursue.”
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Harvard receives about $9 billion in federal support, with most routed through affiliated hospitals and the remainder funding research in areas like cancer, space exploration, and Alzheimer’s.
While the school is financially fortified, other institutions have opted to comply with Trump’s conditions — Columbia University reportedly settled with the administration after facing similar pressure.
The Trump administration has frozen or canceled some funding for universities like Columbia, Princeton, Brown, Cornell, and Northwestern as well. It has also threatened to withhold funding over culture war issues such as DEI programs and transgender policies.
