Thousands of international students at Harvard and across the US are grappling with deep uncertainty and anxiety amid the Trump administration’s moves to revoke the university’s ability to host foreign students and bar them from entering the country to attend Harvard.
Nearly 7,000 international students and scholars, including over 700 from India, at the Ivy League university now find themselves caught in what many view as a political clash, impacting immigration, education and their future.
The administration’s actions — challenged in court by Harvard and currently stalled — could, if enforced, affect three distinct groups of students, each facing a different form of disruption.
The largest group includes current students — undergraduates, graduate students and PhD scholars — who are at risk of losing their F-1 student visa status if Harvard is stripped of its capacity to host international students. Unless they transfer to another US university or institution, their legal right to stay in the country could vanish. But questions remain over how many other institutions would be able to accommodate a sudden influx of displaced students.
A second group, those graduating this year and preparing to begin work under the Optional Practical Training (OPT) work authorisation programme, may be even more vulnerable. OPT allows international graduates on F-1 visas to work in the US for a year — or up to three years in STEM fields. If Harvard loses its ability to sponsor international students, these graduates would be left without a valid visa and no viable path to transfer, upending their plans just as they step into the workforce.
The third group are students just admitted to Harvard and expected to start this year. They now face a dilemma — enrol despite the risk of being barred from entry, or defer and possibly forgo a hard-won opportunity at one of the world’s most prestigious institutions.
Beyond the immediate impact on students’ futures, critics say the administration’s approach risks tarnishing the reputation of the US as a global leader in higher education.
Katerina Linos, a Harvard alum and professor at UC Berkeley School of Law, told a student newspaper, The Harvard Crimson, that the damage to the US’s image may already be done. “Merely by creating all of this uncertainty,” she said: “The Trump administration is reducing the excitement international students have about attending other schools in the US.”
A Harvard University international student, currently outside the US after completing his first year, is unsure whether he can go back to campus in September this year amid the Trump administration’s actions against the university.
The administration’s latest proclamation, now put on hold temporarily by a court, seeks to prevent the entry of new international students into the university. Trump has also urged secretary of state Marco Rubio to consider revocation of visas of students at Harvard currently pursuing studies.
“I am not sure if I can go back because the US government has a lot of discretionary power to block entry or detain people at the airport. Since Harvard University has been highlighted so much with respect to revocation of visas of its international students, I am worried about being able to return to studies,” the student said.
The duration of students’ visas granted by the US government varies from five years for students of certain countries, including India, to just one year for students of a few other countries. Those students whose one-year visas have expired or will expire soon are required to renew them. However, the decision by the administration to disallow any fresh visa could jeopardise the careers of such students, the student said.
“The situation is miserable for students who’ve taken loans for studies. Repayment for many is entirely dependent on completion of studies and getting a job,” the student said.
Many students go with spouses and kids. The family members are issued dependent visas. If the student’s visa is revoked, the entire family is troubled.
“While the court considers our request, contingency plans are being developed to ensure that international students and scholars can continue to pursue their work at Harvard this summer and through the coming academic year. School leadership will provide updates on this planning,” Harvard president Alan M. Garber said in a letter to members of the Harvard Community.
On Friday, a student who obtained a visa to pursue a research degree in a US university said he was luckier than hundreds of his peers waiting for interviews for a grant of visa to go to US colleges to pursue higher studies.
Last week, the Trump administration issued an order, asking its consulates to put on hold the scheduling of interviews for issuing student visas since it wants scrutiny of social media accounts to be done first.
“The students have got admission offers. Many of them, I know, have received full scholarships from the university, too. But they are waiting anxiously for their visa. The US consulates and the embassy have stopped giving slots for interviews. Nobody knows how long this uncertainty will continue,” said the student.
He said visa delay might also lead to the cancellation of admission offers. The students would suffer financially as the application fees paid would go to waste. Considering the political situation, admission will be even more difficult next year.
“Every student applies to six to 10 universities and pays fees of $60 to $90 towards each application. If admission is not granted, the money goes to waste. The way educational grants are declining and universities are relying on limited federal funding, the scholarships will also come down next year. So, it will be tougher for students seeking higher studies on scholarships next year,” he said.
The student said the embassy officials usually do not ask many questions if the courses are fully funded, especially in the case of PhD candidates holding full scholarships. However, now, students are facing more detailed questions during the interview.
Based on anecdotal data, the student said, the political situation is making international students more anxious, and many have decided to stay back on campus instead of visiting India during summer break.
The student said: “International students are not going to their home country. Several Indian students across campuses plan not to come to India for summer break because they fear the process of re-entry in the US.”
Among international students on US campuses in 2023-24, Indians constituted the largest group, accounting for 30 per cent of 11.27 lakh international students, according to a report by Open Doors, an organisation sponsored by the US state department.
India became the leading place of origin with 3,31,602 international students in the US in 2023-24. China was the second leading place of origin with 2,77,398 students.