President Donald Trump is moving to block nearly all foreign students from entering the country to attend Harvard University, his latest attempt to choke the Ivy League school from an international pipeline that accounts for a quarter of the student body.

President Donald Trump has gone after the world’s wealthiest higher education institution in the name of antisemitism, claiming Harvard has failed to protect Jewish students, particularly in the wake of the war in Gaza.

Around midnight on April 16, 2025, after Chen Zimo learned that the Department of Homeland Security had threatened to revoke Harvard University’s certification to enroll international students, he began communicating with a trusted source about possible legal scenarios.

As Harvard’s fight with the Trump administration plays out, foreign students who are hoping to attend the Ivy League school are navigating deep uncertainty and weighing other options.

President Donald Trump‘s administration has launched a multifront effort to reduce the number of international students studying at American colleges, leaving university leaders reeling and sending shock waves through their campuses.