[By Guancha Observer Network, Shao Yun]

The Trump administration announced on the 22nd that it had revoked Harvard University's Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) qualification, meaning that not only can Harvard no longer enroll international students, but foreign non-graduating students currently studying at Harvard must transfer to another institution, or they will lose their legal status.

Currently, Harvard University enrolls nearly 6,800 international students and scholars from more than 140 countries and regions. As of the fall semester of 2023, international students account for more than 27% of the total student population at Harvard. According to statistics on the Harvard International Office website, Chinese international students make up the largest proportion among international students.

"Trump's attack on Harvard students has sparked reactions worldwide," Bloomberg reported on the 23rd. Many Harvard students and alumni from around the world were shocked by the ban, with some worried about the disruption to their plans and fearing years of investment might be wasted, while more Chinese students felt targeted due to their nationality.

Domestically in the U.S., there are concerns that this move could impact the reputation and future development of American higher education. "This is vicious, illegal, unwise, and highly harmful," said Lawrence Summers, former president of Harvard University and former U.S. Treasury Secretary, on the 22nd. He urged Harvard leadership to take the lead in resisting such "tyranny," asking, "If Harvard cannot do so, who else can?"

Latest reports show that Harvard filed a lawsuit against the ban on admitting international students on the 23rd, stating that it violated the U.S. Constitution and was retaliation against Harvard's refusal to submit to White House political demands. Since March, the government has successively demanded that Harvard close its "Diversity, Equity, Inclusion" (DEI) programs, weaken administrative power, and revise admission standards, freezing nearly $3 billion in funding after Harvard rejected these requests.

On May 2, 2025, local time, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA, a tour group passes by the John Harvard statue in Harvard Yard. Visual China

"Thought it was fake news"

Jiang Fangzhou, who is pursuing a Master's degree in Public Administration at the Kennedy School of Government, said that as soon as the news came out that the Trump administration would ban Harvard from accepting international students, his several group chats all "exploded."

"Everyone is very uncertain," Jiang told Bloomberg and CNN, "I was shocked for a while, I never expected the government to go this far." Jiang, 30, was originally discussing next year's accommodation with his wife, but now he began to worry whether his visa was still valid. "How should I plan my life, our lives?"

Zhang Kaiqi (Zhang Kaiqi, phonetic), a 21-year-old public health master’s student at Harvard, said he initially thought it was fake news. Reuters reported that Zhang was scheduled to fly back to China on the 23rd, with luggage and souvenirs already packed. However, after learning about the ban, he had to cancel his expensive ticket urgently, losing the opportunity to intern at a U.S. nonprofit organization in China.

"I feel very sad and angry." But Zhang Kaiqi said that the most anxious among Chinese students studying at Harvard should be those with research assistant positions over the summer, as these positions are tied to visa status and are crucial for their future applications to doctoral programs.

Reuters found that a Chinese graduate student at the Kennedy School of Government posted a humorous post on Xiaohongshu on the 23rd (now hidden), calling themselves a "Harvard refugee." Poster Teresa said, "Our teacher sent us an email saying the school is actively working to respond within the next 72 hours and plans to negotiate with the government."

According to the latest report from AP, Harvard filed a lawsuit in Boston Federal Court on the 23rd, stating that the Trump administration's ban violates the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and will have a direct and devastating impact on Harvard University and more than 7,000 visa holders. Harvard said it plans to apply for a temporary restraining order to prevent the Department of Homeland Security from implementing this measure.

Chinese Students: Afraid to Leave Campus

According to Harvard University statistics, as of 2022, Chinese students make up the largest international student group at the university, followed by Canada, India, South Korea, etc.

Shreya Reddy, 33, from India, works in the U.S. and is a project manager at Visa. She said she is just a few credits away from earning her EMBA from Harvard and originally planned to return in July, but now worries that she may not graduate.

Reddy said she has spent $86,000 on her MBA studies, but now not only may she not receive a diploma from Harvard Business School, but she may also lose relevant alumni networks and connections, let alone the financial loss. "This is really hard to accept. I've paid tuition and booked tickets. I don't know what this means for me and other international students."

A Harvard Business School student from South Korea, who requested anonymity, also told Bloomberg that given the rapid changes in U.S. policies, he began to doubt whether the diploma was worth the many uncertainties and pressures it brought.

For Chinese students, this pressure may be even greater. "I think compared to other groups, the Chinese student body undoubtedly feels more targeted," a 24-year-old Zhang student told Reuters, who is pursuing a Ph.D. in physics at Harvard. For safety reasons, Zhang did not disclose his full name.

Zhang added, "Some friends suggested that if things escalate, I shouldn't continue living where I am because they believe U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents might come directly to your apartment and take you away."

On the 22nd, the Trump administration groundlessly hyped up Harvard's supposed "collaboration with China" and pressured the university to provide a series of information about suspected "illegal activities" by foreign students over the past five years within 72 hours. Two Chinese students said that in some WhatsApp groups, many panicked international students are densely sharing information and legal advice. Lawyers suggest that students stay in the U.S. and not fly back home, waiting for the official notice from the school.

"Held Hostage by Political Purposes"

CNN pointed out that top-notch international talent has long been an important source of income for U.S. universities and one of the key factors in maintaining America's leading position in the field of science and technology. U.S. media worry that after the implementation of the ban, it may further harm the reputation of American higher education systems like Harvard worldwide.

Abdullah Shahid Sial, joint chairman of the Harvard Undergraduate Student Association and a junior from Pakistan, candidly admitted that students anticipated the possibility of the ban, but "we didn't expect it to happen so quickly." Sial said he knew some overseas individuals who, despite receiving acceptance letters, ultimately decided not to study in the U.S., precisely because they felt the risks were too high.

In The New York Times' view, amidst recent frictions between China and the U.S., symbols of American soft power like Hollywood and iPhones have waned in China, except for elite American institutions like Harvard, which remain one of the few reasons Chinese people still feel attracted to the U.S. However, after this incident, the "lighthouse" seems to be in jeopardy.

"Everyone comes here with dreams of changing the world, but when I try to understand the world, it shuts me out," a current graduate student at Harvard told The New York Times, requesting anonymity due to concerns about visa issues. The report said that this student expressed her intention to return to China after graduation.

Some Chinese students have reported that the ban has already begun to affect related visa issuance Xiaohongshu

Sophie Wu (Sophie Wu, phonetic), who graduated from an undergraduate program in the U.S. and was recently accepted into a graduate program at Harvard University, said upon hearing the ban, she only felt numb. "I didn't expect the school to make such irrational decisions, and I think this is more of a retaliatory act rather than a policy decision," she told CNN, "International students are being held hostage by some political purpose."

Students from other countries share the same sentiment. In Leo Gerden, a senior from Sweden studying at Harvard, it appears international students are being used as "poker chips" in the fight between the White House and universities.

Although the ban won't affect Gerden, who is graduating next week, he remains very concerned about this issue concerning student freedom of speech. He believes that for other Harvard international students, especially new ones, transferring to another U.S. university will also be "very dangerous," as Trump's ban certainly won't stop at Harvard.

Gerden revealed to Singapore's Channel NewsAsia (CNA) on the 22nd that many people are considering transferring to schools in other countries. Regarding himself, Gerden said he has applied for Tsinghua University's Schwarzman Scholars Program and will go to China next year before returning to Europe.

Hong Kong Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Mao Ning said on the 23rd during a regular press conference that China has consistently opposed the politicization of educational cooperation. The actions of the U.S. will only damage its image and international credibility. "Educational cooperation between China and the U.S. is mutually beneficial," Mao Ning said, adding that China will firmly uphold the legitimate rights and interests of overseas Chinese students and scholars.

The damage caused by the ban may be irreversible.

The Trump administration's action to ban Harvard from accepting international students has also drawn criticism domestically. Fanta Aw, executive director of the National Association of Foreign Student Advisers (NAFSA) based in Washington, stated that expelling international students will have long-term impacts on America's future talent pipeline.

"Losing the contributions of international students will undermine domestic students' understanding of the world and severely impact America's economic strength, security, and global competitiveness. These outcomes run counter to the goals of this administration to make America safer, stronger, and more prosperous," Aw said in a statement.

Lawrence Summers, former U.S. Treasury Secretary and former president of Harvard University, harshly criticized the Trump administration's decision to block Harvard from accepting international students on the 22nd. "This is vicious, illegal, unwise, and highly harmful," Summers told Bloomberg Television. "Why stop 6,000 talented and eager young people from coming to America to pursue their dreams? It makes no sense."

Summers pointed out that cutting off opportunities for foreign students will harm America's economy and national security and goes against basic principles of democracy. He said Trump's move is a "big gift" to other countries vying for the international student market. "We are doing everything we can to help the higher education systems of Britain, Australia, and New Zealand."

He urged Harvard to take the lead in resisting Trump's "tyranny." "These international students were once our country's pride, and we are destroying it ourselves. This is a catastrophic, self-inflicted wound," he said in an interview with CNN on the 22nd. "If Harvard cannot resist this march toward authoritarianism, then who else can?"

It is worth noting that the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) issued an open invitation on the 23rd to international undergraduates and graduates currently studying at Harvard, as well as those holding admission offers from Harvard, welcoming them to join HKUST to continue their studies and pursue academic aspirations. On the same day, the University of Hong Kong also added a "special announcement" to its admissions website, implicitly indicating that there are "transfer policies" for students from globally ranked top 50 universities.

However, some students believe that even if Harvard successfully resists, the damage caused by the Trump administration's ban has already become irreversible. "Even if Trump were to completely back down right now, I think rebuilding international trust in American higher education would take many years," Sial said.

This article is an exclusive contribution from the Guancha Observer Network and cannot be reprinted without permission.

Original Source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7507653187487285795/

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and comments are welcome below.