President Donald Trump has issued a proclamation this week that suspends visas for new international students who were planning to attend Harvard University this fall. However, this directive was promptly halted by a judge, at least temporarily.
This development represents a significant intensification of the ongoing tensions between the Trump administration and Harvard, the oldest and one of the most prestigious universities in the United States.
The White House defends its actions as necessary due to “national security, crime and civil rights concerns.” In addition to suspending new student visas, the proclamation also directs Secretary of State Marco Rubio to examine the visas already issued to other foreign nationals at Harvard. The goal is to determine whether those students “meet the criteria” specified in the president’s order.
Although Harvard has become the latest focal point, this move is part of a broader and increasingly aggressive immigration policy shift that has particularly affected international students throughout the United States.
Just days earlier, the Trump administration had announced a new travel ban and a series of restrictions targeting citizens from 19 countries, set to take effect on June 9. Furthermore, the U.S. State Department last month declared that it would stop scheduling new visa interviews for international students.
The resulting uncertainty and anxiety among international students who had hoped to study at American universities this fall is growing. Early indicators from educational application platforms suggest that the number of international students searching for universities in the U.S. has already dropped sharply.
This decline in interest is alarming for many American institutions, especially those that depend heavily on international student tuition and benefit from their cultural, academic, and research contributions. Experts warn that a sustained decrease in international enrollment could lead to serious long-term consequences.
“Universities understand the value of those students and their contributions culturally, socially, strength of research, all of those things,” said Fanta Aw, executive director of NAFSA: Association of International Educators, in an interview with NPR. She added that higher education institutions are gravely concerned about the message the administration’s policies are sending to the world, and the deterrent effect these measures could have.
To grasp the scale of international student presence in the U.S., it helps to look back. During the 1948–1949 academic year, there were slightly over 25,000 international students enrolled in U.S. colleges — just about 1% of the entire higher education population at the time, according to data from the Institute of International Education (IIE).
The international student population has grown enormously since then, particularly since 2006. According to the IIE’s analysis of data from the 2023–2024 academic year, there are now approximately 19 million students enrolled in U.S. colleges and universities, and about 6% — or over 1.1 million — of them are from other countries. This data was gathered from more than 680 institutions.
Several factors have driven this increase, said Aw. “One is the world becoming increasingly aware of the quality of education that is offered in the United States,” she explained. She added that earlier generations of students, upon returning home, often praised their American education, creating a powerful and organic recruitment pipeline.
Many world leaders and prominent figures received their higher education in the U.S., further boosting the country’s reputation as a global education hub. For instance, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, while King Philippe of Belgium earned a master’s degree in political science at Stanford University. Elon Musk, originally from South Africa and one of the world’s richest individuals, graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1997.
Aw also pointed out that U.S. colleges and universities began to actively recognize and seek out the financial and cultural advantages international students bring. This spurred more targeted recruitment efforts abroad. Moreover, the rise of the global middle class means that more families are now able to afford an overseas education, further driving growth.
Although international students come from all over the globe, recent data shows a clear geographic trend. For the 2023–2024 academic year, roughly 75% of international students in the U.S. hail from Asia, with more than half of that group originating from India and China.
While Harvard has been thrust into the spotlight by the Trump administration, it’s worth noting that it is not the leading host of international students in the U.S. According to the IIE’s most recent data, Harvard hasn’t ranked among the top 25 U.S. institutions hosting international students for some time.
Still, Harvard has a significant international presence. For the 2024–2025 academic year, nearly 7,000 international students from over 140 countries are enrolled there, making up more than 25% of the university’s total student population. When adding researchers and scholars, the international community at Harvard exceeds 10,000 individuals.
The universities that consistently top the list in terms of international student enrollment include New York University (NYU), which hosted close to 30,000 international students in the 2023–2024 school year. Northeastern University’s Boston campus typically follows closely behind, and Columbia University — another Ivy League school that has also faced criticism from the Trump administration — rounds out the top three.
Despite the administration’s focus on Harvard, its policies have broad implications for all U.S. colleges and universities that welcome international students. The tightening of visa policies, suspension of interviews, and the introduction of travel bans contribute to a growing sense of insecurity among students and institutions alike.
The cumulative effect of these measures, if sustained, could reshape the global academic landscape. International students who once viewed the U.S. as a premier destination may begin to look elsewhere. And for American institutions, the potential loss goes beyond finances — it includes diminished cultural diversity, weaker research output, and a reduced global presence.
As Fanta Aw noted, universities are acutely aware of the value international students bring. “Their contributions culturally, socially, strength of research, all of those things” are irreplaceable, she said. But unless there is a shift in the current policies, the U.S. risks losing not just students, but its long-standing reputation as the world’s leading destination for higher education.