Thousands of international students, including a sizable number from China, are in limbo following the Trump administration's decision to revoke Harvard University's ability to enroll foreign students. The unprecedented action by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) bars Harvard from admitting international students for the upcoming academic year and requires current visa-holding students to transfer or risk losing legal status.
"Harvard refugee," read one post from a Chinese postgraduate student on Xiaohongshu, a Chinese social media platform similar to Instagram. The term captures the growing sense of fear among Chinese students like Zhang, a 24-year-old PhD student in physics, who said, "Some friends gave me advice that I should try not to stay in my current accommodation if things escalate."
Harvard, which counts Chinese nationals as the largest group among its international population, condemned the move as "unlawful." The university stated it is "committed to maintaining our ability to host our international students and scholars, who hail from more than 140 countries and enrich the University and this nation."
The DHS cited Harvard's alleged ties to the Chinese Communist Party, accusations of antisemitism on campus, and refusal to turn over visa-related student records. "This administration is holding Harvard accountable for fostering violence, antisemitism, and coordinating with the Chinese Communist Party on its campus," said DHS Secretary Kristi Noem.
The decision has sent shockwaves across Harvard's international student body. Fangzhou Jiang, a 30-year-old student at the Kennedy School, said, "I was absolutely shocked for quite a few minutes. I just never anticipated that the administration could go this far." Jiang, who founded an education consultancy helping Chinese students apply to U.S. schools, said the move undermines the image of American higher education.
Some students, including Zhao, a 23-year-old incoming master's candidate, are considering deferring or transferring. "It's really disturbed my life plans," she said. "I had originally planned to apply for my U.S. visa in early June, and now I'm not sure what to do."
Flight cancellations, lost internships, and frantic legal consultations have followed. Zhang Kaiqi, 21, a master's student in public health, had packed his bags to return to China but canceled the flight after hearing the news. "I was sad and irritated. For a moment I thought it was fake news," he said, noting his internship with a U.S. NGO in China was now lost.
The impact is particularly acute among Chinese students with research assistantships tied to visa status. Multiple WhatsApp groups were reportedly created where lawyers advised students not to leave the U.S. or take domestic flights while awaiting Harvard's response.
Harvard, which educated notable Chinese figures like former Vice Premier Liu He and President Xi Jinping's daughter, Xi Mingze, has been at the center of a broader clash between the U.S. and China over education and security. Tensions escalated during Trump's first term when the administration barred STEM graduates from Chinese universities linked to military research from obtaining visas, and launched the now-defunct China Initiative.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry denounced the action. The U.S. move "will only tarnish its own image and reputation in the world," said a ministry spokesperson, calling it an example of the politicization of education. "China has consistently opposed the politicization of educational collaboration."
In response to the crisis, the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) announced it would offer "unconditional offers, streamlined admission procedures, and academic support" for affected Harvard students. "We are prepared to welcome Harvard students into our community," said Guo Yike, provost at HKUST.
Observers note the policy is accelerating a reverse brain-drain as Chinese scholars return home. At least a dozen top academics with Chinese roots have relocated from U.S. institutions to Chinese universities in the past year, according to reporting by CNN.
Education consultants, such as Pippa Ebel of the Higher Education Policy Institute, say the latest policy shift may be "a final nudge" for Chinese families already wary of sending students to the U.S. "It's not going to be a complete turnaround, but a hardening of Chinese parents' existing concerns," Ebel said.
Open Doors data shows the number of Chinese students in the U.S. fell from a peak of over 372,000 in 2019 to 277,000 in 2024. That trend, experts warn, may accelerate amid continued geopolitical tensions.
Reuters and CNN contributed to this report
