Donald Trump’s administration has revoked Harvard’s ability to enrol students from abroad, leaving thousands facing having to transfer to another university or leave the US entirely.
US secretary of homeland security, Kristi Noem, said the country’s oldest and wealthiest university would no longer be able to enrol international students over allegations it had created an unsafe environment by allowing "anti-American, pro-terrorist agitators" on campus.
She said Harvard's certification in the student and exchange visitor programme would be cancelled "as a result of their failure to adhere to the law" and also accused the institution of "coordinating with the Chinese Communist Party on its campus".
The move means British students will be among those no longer allowed to attend the prestigious Ivy League school.
In 2022, Harvard admitted 236 students from the UK and British graduates make up the largest single proportion of the university’s foreign alumni at over 7,100 people.
Almost 6,800 foreigners from more than 100 countries are currently enrolled at the university in Cambridge, Massachusetts and account for over a quarter of its student body.
A spokesman for the university called the ban “unlawful”, adding: “We are fully committed to maintaining Harvard’s ability to host international students and scholars, who hail from more than 140 countries and enrich the university – and this nation – immeasurably.”
Ms Noem said: “It is a privilege, not a right, for universities to enrol foreign students and benefit from their higher tuition payments to help pad their multibillion-dollar endowments.
“Let this serve as a warning to all universities and academic institutions across the country.”
The Department of Homeland Security said in a statement: “Harvard can no longer enrol foreign students and existing foreign students must transfer or lose their legal status.”
It is the latest in a long line of battles Trump has instigated with institution.
In May, the US President threatened to remove Harvard’s tax exemptions.
The university is also in a legal battle with the Trump administration over the freezing of £1.7 billion in federal grants.
Harvard said any revocation of its tax-exempt status would be unlawful and unprecedented.
