Harvard's foreign students in limbo after Trump administration revokes their enrollment

By Sam Tabahriti and Charlotte Van Campenhout

LONDON/AMSTERDAM (Reuters) -Thousands of foreign students at Harvard University were stuck in administrative limbo and looking for alternatives on Friday after U.S. President Donald Trump's administration revoked Harvard's ability to enroll students from abroad.

Harvard, which on Friday sued the Trump administration over the decision, currently has nearly 7,000 international students, representing about 27% of its total enrollment.

Since taking office in January, Trump has assailed the so-called Ivy League universities, accusing them of fostering anti-American, Marxist and "radical left" ideologies.

While other universities would probably jump at the chance to get more Harvard-level students, taking in swathes of them is unlikely to be easy with only three months left until the start of the next academic year.

A British student at Cambridge University who was due to start her master's degree at Harvard's School of Education in September did not think the Trump administration would actually go ahead with banning international students.

The student, who communicates regularly with other international students accepted into Harvard and asked not to be named to speak freely, said the main consensus was that "there is honestly nothing we can do ourselves right now".

She said that if she were to go to Harvard as planned, she was concerned about being able to speak openly.

"It's worrying everywhere, but especially on a student campus where the exchange of ideas is supposed to be celebrated. If I do end up coming to Harvard, going on campus, I know that I'll be watched as an international student in certain ways."

VISA DELAYS

International students said they were already facing delays on their U.S. visa applications since Thursday.

One student was told by their visa interviewer that, while their documents were in order, the visa application was on hold for "additional administrative processing" due to recent developments, according to a private messaging group for foreign students seen by Reuters. They said they were told the process could take 60 days.

"Everything is in limbo right now and we're just waiting and seeing," they said.

Abdullah Shahid Sial, a Harvard student from Pakistan who is also co-president of its governing body for undergraduates, said some students were already looking at moving to other universities.

"We are trying to work with the university administration to offer active assistance to students who are willing (or are forced) to transfer to other universities - within and outside the United States," he said in an email.

With certain U.S. institutions under siege from the Trump administration, foreign students may start looking to universities elsewhere in the world, such as in Britain, Australia, the Netherlands, Ireland, Hong Kong and Singapore, despite the short-term logistical headaches.

Among those poised to benefit would be the universities from the so-called Russell Group in the UK that comprises 24 of its top higher education institutions. The Russell Group did not respond to a request for comment.

A British government-commissioned report in 2024 concluded

that the UK should avoid restricting international student numbers or some universities might collapse.

Trinity College Dublin said it was too early to say whether there would be an influx of Harvard students due to the move.

But undergraduate applications from U.S. students this year were up 16% and those from postgraduates were up 64%, said Catherine O'Mahony, a spokesperson for the university.

The uptick in applications from U.S. students has also been noted in Britain, said Tom Moon, deputy head of consultancy at Oxbridge Applications, which helps students in their university applications.

UK and European Union students were also now more hesitant to apply to U.S. universities, Moon said.

"The advice we've given to our students currently holding offers from Harvard and expecting to enroll in the autumn is to remain calm," Moon said, noting that the decision has already been challenged in court by Harvard and could evolve quickly.

In the Netherlands, the Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) said it currently has one student on exchange at Harvard and another planning to go. "We are now looking at what steps need to be taken regarding these students," TU/e said.

Canadians accounted for about 11% of foreign students at Harvard. Among those was Cleo Carney, daughter of newly-elected Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, according to LinkedIn and the Harvard Crimson newspaper.

Carney's office did not respond to a request for comment.

Princess Elisabeth, first in line to the Belgian throne, is another Harvard student who faces expulsion. She has completed her first year, Belgian Palace spokesperson Lore Vandoorne said.

"The impact of this decision will only become clearer in the coming days/weeks. We are currently investigating the situation," Vandoorne said.

(Reporting by Sam Tabahriti, Charlotte Van Campenhout, Catarina Demony; writing by Charlie Devereux; editing by Mark Heinrich)