The public sentiment regarding President Trump's decision to ban foreign students from attending Harvard is overwhelmingly negative but highly polarized. While some commentators support the decision, citing 'America First' principles and the prioritization of American students, the majority are critical. Many view it as an attack on academic freedom, potentially harmful to international collaboration, and damaging to America's global educational reputation. The move is seen as part of Trump's broader immigration policy, perceived as isolationist and punitive, that could have long-term negative effects on the quality and diversity of education.

President Donald Trump

Harvard University

Foreign Students


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Instead they'll just put on some masks and raid Harvard students

Deadeyez

*"Without its international students, Harvard is not Harvard."*

Amen!

Exciting_Coconut_937

What really sucks is that regardless of this restraining order, I'm sure there are hundreds (thousands?) of students who are now forced to reconsider their attendance this fall in case Trump decides to send ICE after them.

Cyrax89721

yeah but will they just ignore the judge like with all the other stuff? they keep ignoring the law.

Fit_Cellist_3297

I could never understand Republicans' "us vs them" mentality against the entire rest of the world. Like being not American makes you less than human. 

You know with cases like this, it's not from resentment over being passed up by prestigious universities and thinking the few extra slots would've made the difference. It's just another expression of hatred. 

dsteffee

Imagine if Harvard put this much energy into combating the rampant antisemitism on campus… after 1.5 years they need consequences

therealtomclancy69

Retaliation is an insane path that will lead the government down a slippery slope

eightrx

To those saying things can just be paid with endowments, it isn’t that simple. Part of the hang-up is that endowments have a lot of restrictions and limits on what can be spent, when, how, why, and so on. It isn’t just a pool of unreserved funds. So when you look at Trump trying to inflate the endowment tax by up to 10 times more than it is now, coupled by essentially stopping federal grants to colleges and preventing international students from enrolling, those are very serious financial attacks that cannot be easily fixed by just “using the endowment.”

Fancychocolatier

So Trump wants to sell citizenship for 5 mill, but bar future immigrants from a prestigious law school?

How is this not a controlled demolition?

Hyphalex

For me there are two separate issues in play here:

1) Harvard benefitting from foreign students.

2) Retaliation against an institution for its free views

The second one is much more important and regardless of the actual issue of Harvard, wielding the heavy hand of the federal government at other institutions should be alarming for libertarians and honestly even conservatives. There’s nothing limited government about what we’re seeing here

jediporcupine

This is what happens when universities allow criticism of "our greatest ally" I guess

AbolishtheDraft

I would care if good colleges had higher acceptance rates but they always enroll the haves and not have nots, ask admissions counselors they know that only kids who can “afford” to start a nonprofit and do so many extracurriculars would get in

They made it so most can’t have a chance!

Yonigajt

Trump can't tell them who to admit. What he can do is say the federal government won't subsidize the college. So why should taxpayer's be footing the bill for anything Harvard does? Who even wrote this post complaining about a spending cut here?

T0ADcmig

On the one hand, private institutions should be able to admit whomever they want.

On the other hand, Harvard take millions of dollars in federal funds every year. 

If Harvard wants to take federal funding, then they are beholden to federal policies.

The solution here is for Harvard to refuse the federal grants and funds, and then tell the federal government to pound sand. No such thing as a free lunch.

AlphaTangoFoxtrt

Cutting off all funding to Harvard I support that even if its retaliatory.  We should be doing it across the board.

Blocking visas for students that I can't get behind.

sadson215

The universities chose a side and entered a fight that didn't involve them.

Edit: I'm not defending Harvard or Trump. This is a political fight, and politics is not the core function of a university. Harvard voluntarily allied itself with one side, automatically making an opponent of the other. Trump is not the first to use state powers for political purposes. 

I'm not saying they should be silenced. I wish the government was too light to use as a hammer. That's not the world we live in. 

They acted stupidly by taking a side. If they had been neutral on controversial issues and stuck with education and research, they would not have the problem they now have.

PunkCPA

What are you gonna do about it? lol literally fucking nothing.

Jammylegs

wod_killa

Since this is a targeted issue at Harvard - there is no "how can one local District Judge issue an injunction on the whole country" argument.

Curious to see if Admin tries to ignore this one.

elfinito77

Whats crazy is like 7 Republican Senators went to Harvard. lol

Delanorix

Seems like Donald is infringing on some people’s rights.

rzr-12

Insanity.

Idgaf where you're from. If you're smart, contribute to society, and are not violent, you are fully welcome into the country.

These people want to further isolate the USA, and deter smart people from coming to the USA. All marketed by "fear" of bullshit ideologies.

phyLoGG

This is an open and shut case of punishing the college campus. God the money we are going to lose federally because of Trump's small dick and ego.

Individual_Lion_7606

The irony is that the right is cheering on the government silencing Harvard for it's political beliefs because they think Harvard is woke and hate cancel culture. Not surprised since I never expected them to give a damn but it's hilarious what's going on especially now that the Trump administration is all about inclusivity and fighting against anti-Semitism.

Armano-Avalus

More on this subject from other reputable sources:

---
- BBC Online (A-): [Harvard University sues Trump administration for blocking foreign student enrolment](https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cje7ledqvyqo)
- HuffPost (D+): [Trump Administration Bars Harvard From Enrolling Foreign Students](https://www.huffpost.com/entry/trump-harvard-international-students_n_682f6b2ee4b09130a585bd1c)
- New York Times (B+): [Judge Blocks Trump Effort to Bar Harvard’s International Student Enrollment After Lawsuit](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/23/us/harvard-sues-trump-international-students-garber.html)
- Straits Times (B): [US government revokes Harvard’s right to enrol foreign students in major escalation](https://www.straitstimes.com/world/united-states/us-government-revokes-harvards-right-to-enroll-foreign-students)

---
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newswall-org

Hell yeah dude! Fuck the DHS!

Who do they think they are?? Why should they be allowed to check on whether or not foreign students are following the rules?

HiggzBrozon420

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Reading Noem's letter, it sounds like a ton of these requests were from last month, and Harvard apparently failed to provide the information on students' behavior that would render foreign students inadmissable/removable. 

I'm sure there will be more information to come out, but that does sound like it would be in line with Harvard's stance here, I am curious to read about this more in depth, hopefully there is a report or something that comes out on this. They just recently published their report on the rampant antisemitism on campus, so I'd expect a similar level of thoroughness on the part of the government if they are taking this step.

Browler_321

Long before Harvard’s 300+ page antisemitism report was dragged into the daylight I’d been saying they deserved serious consequences for their systemic anti-Asian discrimination. 

The rot has only festered since then—from the president declaring Jewish genocide “context dependent,” to willful blindness toward campus antisemitism, to hypocritical tolerance of macroaggressions against the “correct” minorities, to protecting the agitators and perpetrators. As long as they take one cent of taxpayer money they deserve the book thrown at them.

The funniest part is white progressives wringing their hands over "scaring off international students". In their worldview, it’s not the flagrant Asian discrimination, “white-adjacent” harassment, class closures due to barricaded buildings, or genocide endorsement that’s scaring away foreign students—it's the effort to *stop* these that's making young gigabrains in Beijing think twice, lol. They can’t comprehend that an Asian student just wants to go to class in peace and not move halfway around the world to study alongside terrorist groupies and [4th decile](https://i.redd.it/j2d4zok1cfy91.jpg) performers so some legacy white progressives can work through their ancestral guilt.

I come from an immigrant family who grew up idolizing Harvard. Their respect for Harvard has fallen, not because the government finally stepped in against anti-Asian and anti-Jewish bigotry, but because the progressive embrace of these has metastasized into plain view. 

And I don't mean just at the masked foot soldiers level but up to the [absolute](https://www.forbes.com/sites/joewalsh/2021/02/03/biden-doj-drops-lawsuit-claiming-yale-discriminates-against-white-and-asian-students) [highest](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/biden-administration-asks-us-supreme-court-decline-harvard-affirmative-rcna8274) [ranks](https://x.com/JGreenblattADL/status/1732215888403640798/video/1).

notapersonaltrainer

I'm sure everyone commenting here has already reviewed this?

[https://selectcommitteeontheccp.house.gov/sites/evo-subsites/selectcommitteeontheccp.house.gov/files/evo-media-document/Harvard%20Letter%3AXPCC.pdf](https://selectcommitteeontheccp.house.gov/sites/evo-subsites/selectcommitteeontheccp.house.gov/files/evo-media-document/Harvard%20Letter%3AXPCC.pdf)

Harvard is 110% screwed here. This may indeed be the end of them as a premiere academic institution.

Bernie__Spamders

These people are idiots. They should have accepted Baron, then they wouldn't be in this pickle.

UncleSamurai420

I weep for them.

If you're constantly discriminating against Asians and Jews and who knows who else, you're gonna have a bad time... While this isn't directly related to that issue, they brought all the heat and the sunshine on their practices themselves.

Ultimately, they'll end up better for it when they stop being racist.

dethswatch

Didn't know the scale of foreign enrolement, but after researcging, hearing the reasoning; totally justified.

sfendt

I’m thankful as hell. Those kids are menaces to society.

thehillfigger

I can't express how nice it is - how good it feels, how much hope it gives me, how life-affirming it is - to have a leader that actually takes action instead of just talking about it. I love it. I couldn't be happier.

Scynexity

This is ftom ChatGPT.

 Donald Trump’s criticism or “fight” with Harvard typically centers around a few key issues:
	1.	Affirmative Action: Trump and many conservatives have opposed Harvard’s affirmative action policies, arguing that they discriminate against certain groups, particularly Asian American students. In 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court — with justices appointed by Trump playing a major role — ruled against Harvard’s use of race in admissions.
	2.	Elitism and Liberal Academia: Trump often positions himself and his political movement against elite institutions, which he portrays as out of touch with everyday Americans. Harvard, as a symbol of the academic elite, is often criticized for being overwhelmingly liberal and biased against conservatives.
	3.	Harvard’s Political Influence: Trump and his allies have accused universities like Harvard of pushing left-wing ideologies through their research, faculty, and public influence, especially on issues like climate change, gender, and race.
	4.	Recent Legal and Cultural Clashes: There have been newer issues, like controversies over antisemitism on campuses (especially after the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks), with Harvard facing congressional scrutiny and criticism from conservatives including Trump for how they handled speech and protests.

In short, Trump’s “fight” with Harvard is part of a broader culture war, where elite academic institutions are seen as bastions of liberal ideology and political opposition.

Markus98h

whateverisgoodmoney

American universities for American students.

random_guy00214

Why are American taxpayers paying them billions of dollars a year for them to reject Americans and accept foreigners?

j5a9

EverySingleMinute

I’d like to answer but I’d like to know, are you American? What state are you from? Are you a Marxist? Socialist, liberal centrist or something else neocon Republican? What are you? Sometimes knowing that lets me know what level of dread that article inspires for you. For me it inspires no dread and it’s not a big deal but I know if you’re on the left how left you are can tell me how bothersome this article is to you

I’m starting to wonder how many of these “students” are really spies or some such that are here to infiltrate and radicalize college campuses.

You dont have to be Napoleon to see what happened in the 60s when the students turned against Vietnam and we lost that war to the communists.  Rinse, repeat.

Trump is right on this one.  So is Rubio.  They are guests, here for an education.  Behave accordingly or gtfo.

cchris_39

The universities have to be reformed. They will not do it themselves.

1. No more activists or activism domestic or foreign.

2. No more student loans to people who are under 35 and unemployed.

3. All crimes get reported to the police.

4. Stop hating on white males.

5. Stop admitting based on race or gender. 

6. Only undergraduate degrees with good employment prospects that are not purely academic.

7. Only accept foreign students when zero Americans qualify.

mrhymer

IMO the next step should be a public notice to all Harvard students, applicants, and prospective applicants that the administration has serious doubt Harvard will remain accredited over the next four years. 

Most Harvard admits have plenty of good options. Plant the seed that their college experience could be destroyed at any moment in their time there, and many will pick elsewhere. Concurrently, keep up the all-fronts legal battle. Hollow ‘em out. 

Play the culture war like the left does. To win.

DidiGreglorius

I didn't think this was possible, but I am impressed that they somehow managed to make Harvard the victimized good guy in a fight.

The entire thing has been sloppy, unplanned, and unnecessarily destructive from the very start. Don’t get me wrong, I share a lot of the administration's problems with the likes of Harvard and the rest, but this whole campaign against them has been far more destructive than any problem you could possibly point to at them. And by all accounts, Garber was open to working before you started chucking Nukes with no warning.

Fignons_missing_8sec

Harvard violated anti DEI rules. I don't know if they are still doing it. If so, they need to be shut down. 

anon34821

This is a sharp move that I wasn't aware could be done.

Previous Presidents forced Universities and communities to stop discriminating, and to protect Americans, and the Presidents did so via the bayonet (see pics of the US military being sent to schools and communities).

Trump is being very moderate so far by using economic and legal means to fight various schools/cities' discriminatory practices. It's good to try that first.

If these means do not work, it's possible he'll have to go the route previous Presidents used.

CptGoodAfternoon

It's havard fault for not complying with the reporting requirements.

interbingung

&gt;making up 27% of its student body.

This is a big issue for academia since high fees paid by international students help US universities balance their books. Ultimately college is overpriced and I hope this move forces them to fix it.

Davec433

Objective_Army8232

No idea what it expects to be achieved

I'd rather defund these hostile, liberal institutions as much as possible whenever the GOP is in control.

Ivan_Botsky_Trollov

I think it was politically motivated. I agree with defunding but this goes too far.

WorriedTumbleweed289

American taxes must be used for who want to become American not CCP members that slaughter, rape, mutilate, forcefully indoctrinate, and enslave the Uighur people.

DavidSmith91007

thupamayn

If you're curious about the events at a glance: Trump administration accuses Harvard of being anti-Semitic/pro-Hamas, gives them two weeks to provide all evidence of crimes and wrongdoings by all of its international students, Harvard objects but ultimately provides the evidence, Trump administration says "you didn't do it right" and immediately terminates Harvard's ability to have any international students. The US government has the power to do this, but typically only in very extreme cases of obvious danger, and almost always provides 30+ days to comply. But in true Trump fashion, they gave a completely baseless, unfair ultimatum, say "you did it wrong" even after they comply, and instantly smash down the hammer. They're testing the boundaries of democracy and their law system and seeing what they can get away with.

CubieJ

West_Dress_2869

The premier US universities attract a lot of the world's top intellectual talent and many of them stay in the US post school which is a huge boon to the country in general.

A decade from now the US is going to be clamoring to get the professors and foreign students back but by them the schools will have lost their elite status.

Gnovakane

One of those foreign students is the future queen of Belgium. This timeline is just weird.

MissUnderstood62

The Chinese just offered everyone a Free Ride, why pay for Harvard, Harvard has already lost in this one

[deleted]

President Trump's administration issued an executive order banning foreign students from entering the US to attend Harvard University, sparking legal challenges and debates on educational and immigration policies.

Trump's Ban on Harvard Foreign Students

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