Foreign Students at Harvard University are blurred by the Trump Administration Prohibition

When Shreya Mishra was admitted to Harvard University in 2023, her parents were “ecstatic”.

This is “the best school that everyone in India wants to enter,” she says to the BBC.

Now, with her graduation around the corner, she had to break her family’s bad news: she may not graduate in July from the Executive Leadership Program afterwards Trump’s administration moved to stop Harvard from enrolling international students “As a result of their inability to adhere to the law.”

“It was very difficult for my family to hear. They are still trying to process it,” she told the BBC.

The Reddy is one of about 6,800 international students in Harvard, who make up more than 27% of their enrollment this year. They are a decisive source of revenue for the Ivy League school. About one -third of his foreign students are from China and over 700 are Indian, such as Reddy.

They are all no longer sure what to expect further. Harvard called this move “illegal”, which could lead to a legal challenge.

But this leaves the future of the students in the limbs, be it those who are waiting to enroll this summer, or are halfway through college, or even those who expect the graduation whose opportunities for work are bound by their student visas.

Those who are already in Harvard will have to transfer to other US universities to stay in the United States and keep their visas.

“I hope Harvard will stand up and develop some solution,” says G -Ja Reddy.

The university said it was “fully committed to maintaining (its) ability to host our international students and scientists who are native to more than 140 countries and enrich the university – and that nation – immeasurable.”

This move against Harvard has huge consequences for million or more international students in the United States. And there is a growing repression by the Trump administration for higher institutes, especially those who witnessed major propalist protests in the campus.

Dozens of them are facing investigations as the government is trying to process the accreditation process and to redesign the way they are governed.

The White House First threatened to barrass foreign students from Harvard In April, after the university refused to make changes to its practices for hiring, accepting and teaching. And he also froze nearly $ 3 billion in federal grants that Harvard challenged in court.

However, the message on Thursday let the students breed.

Chinese student Kat Co, who is in his second year in a STEM program, says he is “in shock”.

“I had almost forgotten about (the earlier threat of ban) and then suddenly came the message on Thursday.”

But she adds some of her, she was expecting the “worst”, so she had spent the last few weeks looking for professional tips on how to continue to stay in the United States.

But the options are “all very disturbing and expensive,” she says.

The Trump administration seemed to separate China when he accused Harvard of “coordinating with the Chinese Communist Party” in his statement.

Beijing replied on Friday by criticizing the “politicization” of education.

It states that this move will “harm only the image and the international situation of the United States,” called on the ban to withdraw “as soon as possible”.

“None of this is our registered,” says 20-year-old Abdulla Shahid Sial of Pakistan, a very vocal student activist.

Junior specialty applied mathematics and economics, he was one of only two Pakistani students recognized as Harvard in 2023.

He was also the first person in his family to study abroad. It was a “massive” moment for them, he says.

The situation he is now in, he adds, is “ridiculous and dehumanizing.”

And di -ji, and G -n Sial said that foreign students apply for a college in the United States because they view it as a welcoming place where opportunities are abundant.

“You have so much to learn from different cultures, from people of different backgrounds. And everyone really appreciated this,” says G -ja, and adds that this has been her experience at Harvard so far.

But d -n Sial says this has changed more recently and foreign students no longer feel welcome -the Trump administration canceled hundreds of student visas and even detained students on campuses all over the country. Many of them were related to propalist protests.

Now, adding G -n Sial, there is a lot of fear and uncertainty in the international student community.

This was exacerbated only by the most development. A student student from South Korea says she has a second thoughts about her collection for the summer because she is afraid she will not be able to re -enter the United States.

She did not want to reveal her name because she was worried that she could affect her chances of staying in the United States. It is one year since graduation.

She said she had a grueling semester and was looking forward to “gathering again with friends and family” – so far.

Anxiety among foreign students is tangible, says Jiang Fangzhou, who reads a public administration at the Harvard Kennedy School.

“We may need to leave immediately, but people have their lives here – apartments, leases, classes and community. These are not things you can move from one night.”

And the ban does not only affect current students, says 30-year-old New Zealander.

“Think about incoming people, people who have already refused offers from other schools and have planned their lives around Harvard. Now they are completely stuck.”

Additional reporting from Mengchen Zhang