The state department is opening an investigation into Harvard University’s eligibility as a sponsor for the exchange visitor program, the latest salvo in the Trump administration’s pressure campaign on the university over alleged failures to combat campus antisemitism and inadequate support of Israel.
The department announced the investigation will examine whether Harvard maintains proper standards for hosting international students, professors, researchers and other exchange visitors. All program sponsors must demonstrate “transparency in reporting” and commitment to cultural exchange principles while ensuring their activities do not “undermine the foreign policy objectives or compromise the national security interests of the United States”, the agency said.
“The American people have the right to expect their universities to uphold national security, comply with the law, and provide safe environments for all students,” the state department said. “The investigation will ensure that State Department programs do not run contrary to our nation’s interests.”
The investigation follows extensive pro-Palestinian demonstrations at Harvard and at campuses across the country, that federal officials argued have created an environment that undermines US support for Israel and threatens Jewish students’ safety. Harvard initially suspended five protesters, and later withheld diplomas from 13 students over their involvement with the protest encampment, though most were later awarded their degrees following faculty pressure.
The program in question allows universities to bring international students, professors, researchers and other visitors to the US. If Harvard loses its sponsorship status, it would be barred from hosting such visitors directly.
The Trump administration has already revoked Harvard’s ability to enroll international students, with the homeland security secretary, Kristi Noem, posting on X in May that the university was “prohibited from having any aliens on F- or J-nonimmigrant status for the 2025-2026 academic school year”. Existing international students must transfer to another university or lose their legal status, the letter read.
The secretary of state, Marco Rubio, has reportedly given Harvard one week to produce extensive university records related to the visa program and plans to interview staff and visa holders as part of the review, according to a memo seen by the New York Times.
The investigation comes amid broader federal pressure on Harvard. The Trump administration has already cancelled $2.2bn in federal funding to the university, after eight agencies announced in May they would terminate another $450m in grants.
US consulates worldwide have also been ordered to conduct mandatory social media screening of all Harvard-bound visa applicants, marking an unprecedented targeting of a single American institution. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has served subpoenas demanding payroll records, disciplinary files and videos of international students protesting on campus since 2020.
Harvard spokesperson Jason Newton told the Guardian that the latest investigation was just “another retaliatory step” taken by the White House to violate Harvard’s first amendment rights.
“Harvard continues to enroll and sponsor international scholars, researchers, and students,” Newton said, “and will protect its international community and support them as they apply for US visas and travel to campus this fall”.
