US government bans Harvard University from giving admission to Nigerian and other foreign students

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced on Thursday that Harvard’s ability to enroll foreign students has been revoked.

“Harvard can no longer enroll foreign students and existing foreign students must transfer or lose their legal status,” the department stated

Don’t miss out on any real-time information. Join our WhatsApp group to stay updated.

..

Harvard University has been embroiled in a funding row with the Trump administration, resulting from the school’s refusal to comply with the president’s demands.

Trump had asked that the university audit professors for plagiarism and report international students accused of misconduct no matter the degree.

Harvard also refused to eliminate its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programmes.

As part of the consequences, the Trump administration froze $2.2 billion in federal grants to Harvard last month.

Early this month, the education department threatened that Harvard would no longer receive research grants.

“Let this serve as a warning to all universities and academic institutions across the country,” Kristi Noem, secretary of the department of homeland security said after Thursday’s decision was made public.

Harvard called the revocation “unlawful”.

“We are fully committed to maintaining Harvard’s ability to host our international students and scholars, who hail from more than 140 countries and enrich the University – and this nation – immeasurably,” the university said in a statement.

“We are working quickly to provide guidance and support to members of our community,” the university said in a statement.

“This retaliatory action threatens serious harm to the Harvard community and our country and undermines Harvard’s academic and research mission.”

Over the past decade, Harvard has continued to record an increase in the number of international students.

Don’t miss out on any real-time information. Join our WhatsApp group to stay updated.

..

For the 2024/2025 academic year, foreign students accounted for 27.2 percent of the students’ population.

These students now face uncertainty regarding their visa status, studies, and future opportunities.