Donald Trump bans Harvard from enrolling international students, Kevin Rudd says Australia monitoring impact

US President Donald Trump’s administration has revoked Harvard University’s ability to enrol international students, and is forcing existing students to transfer to other schools or lose their legal status, while also threatening to expand the crackdown to other schools.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on Thursday ordered the department to terminate Harvard University’s Student and Exchange Visitor Program certification, the department said in a statement. Noem accused the university of “fostering violence, antisemitism, and coordinating with the Chinese Communist Party”.

Harvard said the move by the Trump administration - which affects thousands of students - was illegal and amounted to retaliation.

The clampdown on foreign students marks a significant escalation of the Trump administration’s campaign against the elite Ivy League university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, which has emerged as one of Mr Trump’s most prominent institutional targets.

The move comes after Harvard refused to provide information that Noem had previously demanded about some foreign student visa holders who attend the university, the department said.

Harvard enrolled nearly 6800 international students in the 2024-2025 school year, amounting to 27 per cent of its total enrolment, according to university statistics.

“It is a privilege, not a right, for universities to enrol foreign students and benefit from their higher tuition payments to help pad their multibillion-dollar endowments,” Noem said in a statement.

Former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, now Australia’s Ambassador to the United States, says the Government is monitoring “developments” after Harvard University was banned from having international students, including Australians.

“We are monitoring closely developments at Harvard University in relation to the administration’s statement this afternoon on the future enrolment of international students,” he said in a statement on X.

“I know this will be distressing for Harvard’s many Australian students.

“The Embassy is working with the United States Government to obtain the details of this decision so that Australian students can receive appropriate advice.

“We also intend to engage the administration more broadly on the impact of this decision for Australian students and their families, both at Harvard and at other campuses across the United States.

“Should any Australians require urgent consular assistance, please contact the Consular Emergency Centre on 1300 555 135 (in Australia) or +61 2 6261 3305 (from overseas).”

Harvard rejected the allegations and pledged to support foreign students.

“The government’s action is unlawful,” 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.”

The university said it was “fully committed” to educating foreign students and was working on producing guidance for affected students.

Mr Trump, a Republican, has undertaken an extraordinary effort to revamp private colleges and schools across the US that he says foster anti-American, Marxist and “radical left” ideologies. He has criticised Harvard in particular for hiring prominent Democrats to teaching or leadership positions.

Mr Trump has frozen some $US3 billion ($A4.7 billion) in federal grants to Harvard in recent weeks, leading the university to sue to restore the funding.