Harvard University is suing the Trump administration again after the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) moved to block its ability to enroll foreign students, the latest escalation in an ongoing fight between President Trump and the nation’s oldest school.
Here’s what to know about the administration’s move:
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem ordered the department to terminate Harvard University’s Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) certification Thursday.
“This administration is holding Harvard accountable for fostering violence, antisemitism, and coordinating with the Chinese Communist Party on its campus,” Noem said in a statement. “It is a privilege, not a right, for universities to enroll foreign students and benefit from their higher tuition payments to help pad their multi-billion-dollar endowments.
Noem said the Ivy League institution had “plenty of opportunity to do the right thing,” but “it refused.”
Th DHS chief said Harvard lost its SEVP certification because of its “failure to adhere to the law” and that the pause should “serve as a warning to all universities and academic institutions across the country.”
Harvard immediately said the federal government’s action is “unlawful,” and a day later, it filed its lawsuit.
“We are fully committed to maintaining Harvard’s ability to host our international students and scholars, who hail from more than 140 countries and enrich the University — and this nation — immeasurably,” the school’s spokesperson told The Hill.
“We are working quickly to provide guidance and support to members of our community. This retaliatory action threatens serious harm to the Harvard community and our country, and undermines Harvard’s academic and research mission,” the spokesperson added.
The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Massachusetts, claims the administration’s actions violate the First Amendment, constitutional due process and the DHS’s own regulations.
School President Alan Garber characterized the government’s actions as an effort to lash out at Harvard over its “refusal to surrender our academic independence and to submit to the federal government’s illegal assertion of control over our curriculum, our faculty and our student body.”
There are 6,793 International students at Harvard, making up 27.2 percent of the school’s student body, according to its enrollment data.
Tuition at Harvard for the 2025-26 academic year will be $59,320. When room and board are included, the total cost is nearly $87,000. Foreign students tend to pay more to institutions than Americans, as they are ineligible for federal financial aid.
Harvard has need-blind admissions, which are available to all students, regardless of nationality. Therefore, the student’s financial need would not impact their chance of being admitted. Additionally, Harvard says it offers 100 percent need-based aid.
“This means that financial aid supports the students who will benefit from it the most. Furthermore, we meet 100 percent of our students’ demonstrated financial need,” the school said.
The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which falls within DHS’s umbrella, is in charge of the school’s certification process. The certification permits U.S. universities, colleges and private high schools to issue I-20 forms after they accept foreign students into their programs.
The I-20 form, dubbed the “Certificate of Eligibility for Nonimmigrant Student Status,” then allows the students to apply either for an F-1 or J-1 visa in order to be able to enter the country.
Designated officers at schools with SEVP certifications have to “regularly” register students’ records into the Student and Exchange Visitor Program and update changes, including the student’s employment information and address.
Institutions have to reapply for the SEVP certification every two years.
Foreign students are normally allowed to transfer to another institution if their current school has lost its SEVP certification.
Noem warned later Thursday that the DHS could similarly go after other schools’ SEVP certifications.
“Get your act together, because we are coming to make sure that these programs — that you are facilitating an environment where students can learn, where they’re safe, and that they’re not discriminated against based on their race or their religion,” Noem told guest anchor Gillian Turner on The Story on Fox News.
Harvard and the administration have gone back and forth in recent weeks, tussling over records related to international students and their visas.
The administration has put pressure on the Ivy League school, demanding it alter its admissions and hiring policies, do away with diversity, equity and inclusion programs and do more to combat antisemitism on campus.
The administration has frozen more than $2.6 billion in grants and contracts in April. This week, another $60 million in grants were terminated. Trump has signaled he could revoke the university’s tax-exempt status.
In response, Harvard had also previously sued the administration, accusing it of overreaching and demanding the funds be reinstated.