NewsHail
23 May 2025
When Shreya Mishra Reddy got into Harvard University in 2023, her parents were very happy.
She said to the BBC, "It is the best school anyone in India wants to get into."
Now, with graduation coming soon, she told her family some bad news. She might not graduate in July. This is because the Trump administration stopped Harvard from letting international students join. They said Harvard broke the law.
"It has been hard for my family to hear. They are still trying to understand," she said.
Ms. Reddy is one of about 6,800 international students at Harvard. They make up more than 27% of all students this year. They help Harvard earn money. About one-third of these students come from China. More than 700 come from India, like Ms. Reddy.
All these students do not know what will happen next. Harvard said this action is "not legal" and may fight it in court.
But students don’t know what to expect. Some are waiting to start school this summer. Some are halfway through their studies. Some are waiting to graduate. Their jobs depend on their student visas.
Students who are already at Harvard might have to move to other schools to stay in the US.
"I hope Harvard will help us and find a solution," Ms. Reddy said.
Harvard said it wants to keep hosting students from over 140 countries. These students make Harvard and the US better.
This ban affects about a million international students in the US. It comes after the Trump administration is cracking down on schools. They especially target schools with big pro-Palestinian protests.
Many schools face investigations as the government changes how schools are checked and run.
The White House first said it would stop foreign students from going to Harvard in April. This was after Harvard refused to change some rules about hiring, admissions, and teaching. The White House also froze about $3 billion in grants to Harvard. Harvard is fighting this in court.
Still, the announcement on Thursday shocked many students.
Kat Xie, a Chinese student in her second year of a science program, said she was "in shock."
"I had almost forgotten about the ban threat, then it came again," she said.
She also said she expected "the worst" and had been asking experts how to stay in the US.
But all options are "hard and expensive," she said.
The Trump administration seemed to blame China when it said Harvard worked with the Chinese government.
China said on Friday that this politicizes education. It said the ban will hurt the US image. It asked to remove the ban quickly.
"This is not what we signed up for," said Abdullah Shahid Sial from Pakistan. He is a student activist.
He studies math and economics. He was one of only two Pakistani students admitted to Harvard in 2023. He is the first in his family to study abroad. It was a big moment for them.
Now, he says, the situation is "ridiculous and unfair."
Ms. Reddy and Mr. Sial said foreign students want to study in the US because it is welcoming. There are many chances to learn from others.
Ms. Reddy said, "Everyone values that." It has been her experience at Harvard.
But Mr. Sial said things have changed. Foreign students don’t feel welcome now. The Trump administration has canceled many student visas. Some students were even arrested at protests.
Now, many students feel scared and unsure.
This problem got worse with the new ban. A graduate student from South Korea said she is scared to go home this summer. She worries she may not return to the US.
She did not want to say her name. She is one year from graduating.
She said the semester was very hard. She was excited to see friends and family. Now, she is worried.
Jiang Fangzhou, a student at Harvard’s Kennedy School, said the fear is clear.
"We might have to leave right away. But people have lives here — homes, classes, friends. You cannot just leave these things fast."
The ban does not only hurt current students, she said.
"Think of the new students who said no to other schools. They planned their lives around Harvard. Now, they are stuck."
