On Thursday, the Trump administration revoked Harvard University's authorisation to enroll international students, who make up over a quarter of its student body, in a significant escalation of the president's ongoing clash with the prestigious institution. Trump, angered by Harvard’s refusal to comply with federal oversight of its admissions and hiring practices, accused the university of fostering anti-Semitism and promoting liberal “woke” ideology. The university, which boasts 162 Nobel laureates among its affiliates, has resisted these demands. “Effective immediately, Harvard University’s Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVIS) certification is revoked,” wrote Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in a letter to the Ivy League school. SEVIS is the primary system through which foreign students gain permission to study in the U.S. The move follows Trump’s recent threat to bar Harvard from admitting international students unless it submitted to political oversight. “As I explained to you in my April letter, it is a privilege to enroll foreign students,” Noem wrote. “All universities must comply with Department of Homeland Security requirements, including reporting requirements under the Student and Exchange Visitor Program regulations, to maintain this privilege,” she said. “As a result of your refusal to comply with multiple requests to provide the Department of Homeland Security pertinent information while perpetuating an unsafe campus environment that is hostile to Jewish students, promotes pro-Hamas sympathies, and employs racist “diversity, equity, and inclusion” policies, you have lost this privilege.” More than 27 percent of Harvard’s enrollment was made up of foreign students in the 2024-25 academic year, according to university data. Harvard did not immediately respond to a request for comment.