After first cutting billions of dollars from Harvard's budget, Trump is now trying to bring Harvard University to its knees by shutting down the flow of international students.

This could have major consequences for the university: over a quarter of its 25 thousand students come from outside the US. They pay over 80 thousand dollars a year for a year of study, including board and lodging.

116 Dutch, 1 TU/e'er

The consequences are also great for the students themselves. According to Kristi Noem, the U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security, those who are now studying at Harvard must find another university. Otherwise, they will lose their residence permits.

According to Harvard's international office, 116 Dutch students are currently studying at the university. It is not clear how long they will be given to find another institution.

Currently, one TU/e student is on exchange at Harvard and another is planning to go for an exchange. TU/e is now considering what steps to take to assist these students.

Judge

A month ago, the Van Trump administration demanded all “relevant information” from Harvard about '‘illegal" or “dangerous” activities of foreign students. Harvard refused to provide it because there would be no legal basis for doing so.

The university is already in a legal battle with the government over the billion-dollar cuts. The New York Times reports that the university plans to challenge this student freeze as well.

Such a lawsuit seems likely. Last Thursday, a judge in another case ruled that Trump may not simply revoke the residency status of international students.

Update, Friday, May 23, 2025, 7:35 p.m.: Meanwhile, several U.S. media outlets, including CNN and The New York Times, write that a federal judge has blocked the Trump administration's ban on denying all internationals access to Harvard.