Donald Trump Bans Visas For Foreign Students At Harvard: Full Story

 Donald Trump Bans Visas for Foreign Students at Harvard: Full Story

Washington, June 2025:
Former US President Donald Trump has announced a visa ban for new foreign students at Harvard University, as part of a stronger crackdown on international education policies. This new move affects students who planned to travel to the United States for courses or exchange programs hosted by Harvard.

 What Did Trump Say?

In a public statement, Trump said:

“It is necessary to restrict the entry of foreign nationals who seek to enter the United States solely or principally to participate in a course of study at Harvard University.”

This means new international students will not be given visas if they’re only coming for Harvard programs.

 Harvard Calls It "Retaliation"

Harvard University reacted strongly, calling this executive order “retaliatory and illegal.” A university spokesperson stated:

“Harvard will continue to protect its international students. This is yet another illegal retaliatory step taken by the Administration.”

Earlier, the Trump administration had tried to block foreign student admissions, but a federal court in Boston stopped it. However, this time Trump used a different legal authority for the new ban.

 More Pressure on Harvard

This visa ban is only part of a larger conflict:

• The Trump administration ended $450 million in federal grants to Harvard.

• Over $2.2 billion in funding was earlier frozen.

• New legislation is being proposed to tax wealthy university endowments, which could impact Harvard heavily.

• Trump also threatened to remove Harvard’s tax-exempt status.

These actions follow allegations that Harvard didn’t act to protect Jewish students after the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel.

 Why the Crackdown?

Reports say this conflict started because Harvard refused federal demands to hand over certain student misconduct records. The US Department of Homeland Security accused Harvard of non-cooperation.

In response, Harvard is expanding its lawsuit against the government, claiming these actions are unconstitutional and attack the university’s independence.

 What Does This Mean for Students?

• New foreign students planning to attend Harvard may not get visas.

• The rule only applies to Harvard (not all US universities—yet).

• Current international students already in the US are not affected.

• Students are advised to stay updated through official university and visa channels.

 Final Thoughts

The battle between Donald Trump and Harvard is becoming more intense. From freezing funds to banning visas, this is one of the biggest education-related showdowns in US history.

Will other universities face similar actions?
Will Harvard succeed in its legal fight?

Only time will tell.