White House threatens to bar international students from Harvard

The White House threatened to prevent Harvard from enrolling international students, sharply escalating its row with the most prestigious US university.

The standoff began after Harvard, in a striking act of defiance, rejected President Donald Trump’s order that colleges end DEI programs and screen students for antisemitism, among other demands.

International students pay higher fees than domestic ones, and excluding them would mark a further financial blow for Harvard following a funding freeze and threat to revoke its tax-exempt status.

There may be more to come: The administration will soon target universities’ investment funds, Semafor’s Liz Hoffman reported, which it says fund “terrorism,” and Harvard’s $52 billion endowment could be a weak spot in its defenses.