DHS barred Harvard from enrolling international students. Here’s what’s at stake and what’s still uncertain

By Emma Tucker, Elizabeth Wolfe, CNN

(CNN) — The Trump administration’s decision on Thursday to revoke Harvard University’s ability to enroll international students raises significant questions about the impact on the school community and its academic research.

The US Department of Homeland Security ordered the termination of the university’s Student and Exchange Visitor Program certification, barring the Ivy League school from hosting foreign students who make up over a quarter of the student population.

The move drastically escalated the university’s dispute with the White House over federal funding, after the Trump administration froze $2.2 billion in funds last month when Harvard said it would not concede to its demands, including reforming its international student program.

Harvard was the first academic institution to rebuke key policy changes the Trump administration has demanded of elite US universities. The university has called the DHS action to bar the university from enrolling international students “unlawful” and says it’s working “to quickly provide guidance and support to members of our community.”

Here are some of the answers to key questions about how the decision could impact Harvard:

What is Harvard’s international student population?

In the 2024-2025 academic year, there were 6,793 international students enrolled at Harvard University, making up roughly 27% of its total enrollment.

The decision by DHS will impact a substantial portion of the university’s community, with its international academic population comprising 9,970 people, the school said.

Harvard said it is “committed to maintaining our ability to host our international students and scholars, who hail from more than 140 countries and enrich the University and this nation,” according to a statement on its website.

What will happen to current international students at Harvard?

In a letter to Harvard, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said the revocation of the school’s Student and Exchange Visitor program certification means it is prohibited from enrolling any “aliens on F- or J- nonimmigrant status” for the upcoming academic school year.

It also means existing foreign students with that status “must transfer to another university in order to maintain their nonimmigrant status,” the letter said.

Educational institutions are required to have SEVP certification with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement in order to admit applicants who have an 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 at institutions that have lost their SEVP certification are typically allowed to try to transfer to a different certified school before they must leave the country.

Guidelines set by ICE say that SEVP-certified schools have “serious legal obligations” to the student and the US government.

“SEVP will exercise the full authority of the U.S. government to protect you and to institute sanctions against any school that disregards its responsibilities,” according to the ICE fact sheet.

How will the decision impact the university?

Some Harvard staff worry draining the university of its foreign students would debilitate the academic prowess of both the institution and, potentially, American academia as a whole.

Noem said in April that Harvard “relies heavily on foreign student funding … to build and maintain their substantial endowment.”

International students are more likely to pay full tuition at US colleges, in part because most aren’t eligible for federal financial aid.

“We are working quickly to provide guidance and support to members of our community. This retaliatory action threatens serious harm to the Harvard community and our country, and undermines Harvard’s academic and research mission,” university spokesperson Jason Newton said.

Harvard economics professor and former Obama administration official Jason Furman called the measure “horrendous on every level.”

“It is impossible to imagine Harvard without our amazing international students. They are a huge benefit to everyone here, to innovation and the United States more broadly,” Furman said. “Higher education is one of America’s great exports and a key source of our soft power. I hope this is stopped quickly before the damage gets any worse.”

Another professor familiar with the situation told CNN that if the policy goes into effect, he fears “many labs will empty out.”

Correction: An earlier version of this story misattributed a quote about how Harvard relies heavily on international student funding. It was said by DHS Secretary Kristi Noem in April.

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CNN’s Andy Rose, Matt Egan, Meg Tirrell and Celina Tebor contributed to this report.