United States President Donald Trump's administration escalated its standoff with Harvard University on Thursday, revoking the school's ability to enrol international students. Following the crackdown, nearly 788 Indian students of 6800 would be forced to transfer to other schools or lose their legal permission to be in the United States.
The Department of Homeland Security took this latest step because Harvard failed to comply fully with requests to produce records about its foreign students, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said in a letter. Noem accused Harvard of “perpetuating an unsafe campus environment that is hostile to Jewish students, promotes pro-Hamas sympathies and employs racist ‘diversity, equity and inclusion’ policies.’”
In response to Trump's action, Harvard said the action is unlawful and undermines the school’s research mission.
Read more: US bans Harvard from admitting foreign students: What it means for nearly the 7,000 already on campus
Here's how Trump's decision will impact Indian students?
Will current Indian students in Harvard be allowed to graduate?
Indian students who completed their degrees this semester will be allowed to graduate. Noem's letter said the changes would take effect for the 2025-2026 school year. Harvard's Class of 2025 is expected to graduate next week.
However, students who have yet to complete their degree need to transfer to another university, Noem said, or they'll lose their legal permission to remain in the United States.
What will happen to admitted Indian students this fall?
No, not unless the government changes its decision or a court steps in. For now, Noem said Harvard could restore its status as a host institution for foreign students if it complied with a list of demands within 72 hours. Those demands include requests for a range of records, such as disciplinary records for international students, plus any audio and video recordings of protest activity.
Read more: Harvard University can still keep international students if it meets these 6 conditions in 72 hours
How else has the Trump administration targeted Harvard?
Harvard's battle with the Trump administration dates to early April. The storied institution became the first elite college to refuse to comply with the government's demands to limit pro-Palestinian protests and eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion policies. That kicked off a series of escalating actions against Harvard. Various federal agencies, including DHS and the National Institutes of Health, have cut their grant funding to Harvard, significantly impacting research projects conducted by faculty. Harvard has sued the administration, seeking to end the grant freeze.
The Department of Homeland Security took this latest step because Harvard failed to comply fully with requests to produce records about its foreign students, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said in a letter. Noem accused Harvard of “perpetuating an unsafe campus environment that is hostile to Jewish students, promotes pro-Hamas sympathies and employs racist ‘diversity, equity and inclusion’ policies.’”
In response to Trump's action, Harvard said the action is unlawful and undermines the school’s research mission.
Read more: US bans Harvard from admitting foreign students: What it means for nearly the 7,000 already on campus
Here's how Trump's decision will impact Indian students?
Will current Indian students in Harvard be allowed to graduate?
Indian students who completed their degrees this semester will be allowed to graduate. Noem's letter said the changes would take effect for the 2025-2026 school year. Harvard's Class of 2025 is expected to graduate next week.
However, students who have yet to complete their degree need to transfer to another university, Noem said, or they'll lose their legal permission to remain in the United States.
What will happen to admitted Indian students this fall?
No, not unless the government changes its decision or a court steps in. For now, Noem said Harvard could restore its status as a host institution for foreign students if it complied with a list of demands within 72 hours. Those demands include requests for a range of records, such as disciplinary records for international students, plus any audio and video recordings of protest activity.
Read more: Harvard University can still keep international students if it meets these 6 conditions in 72 hours
How else has the Trump administration targeted Harvard?
Harvard's battle with the Trump administration dates to early April. The storied institution became the first elite college to refuse to comply with the government's demands to limit pro-Palestinian protests and eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion policies. That kicked off a series of escalating actions against Harvard. Various federal agencies, including DHS and the National Institutes of Health, have cut their grant funding to Harvard, significantly impacting research projects conducted by faculty. Harvard has sued the administration, seeking to end the grant freeze.
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