Trump Seeks Names and Countries of International Students at Harvard

It follows a judge’s ruling blocking the federal government from revoking Harvard’s ability to enroll foreign students.

Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass., on May 23, 2025. Learner Liu/The Epoch Times

President Donald Trump on May 25 said he wanted the names and countries of origin of foreign students at Harvard days after a federal judge blocked his administration from stopping the university from enrolling foreign students.

“Why isn’t Harvard saying that almost 31% of their students are from FOREIGN LANDS, and yet those countries, some not at all friendly to the United States, pay NOTHING toward their student’s education, nor do they ever intend to,” Trump wrote in a social media post on May 25.

“We want to know who those foreign students are, a reasonable request since we give Harvard BILLIONS OF DOLLARS, but Harvard isn’t exactly forthcoming. We want those names and countries.”

On May 22, the Department of Homeland Security revoked the certification of Harvard University’s foreign student admissions program.

“This administration is holding Harvard accountable for fostering violence, antisemitism, and coordinating with the Chinese Communist Party on its campus,” Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem wrote in a May 22 social media post.

She sent a letter to the university accusing it of failing to adhere to “reporting requirements under the Student and Exchange Visitor Program regulations,” for “perpetuating an unsafe campus environment that is hostile to Jewish students, [and] promotes pro-Hamas sympathies,” and for employing “racist ‘diversity, equity, and inclusion’ policies.”

Harvard responded by calling the action 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,” Harvard University spokesman Jason Newton told The Epoch Times in an email.

“We are working quickly to provide guidance and support to members of our community. This retaliatory action threatens serious harm to the Harvard community and our country, and undermines Harvard’s academic and research mission.”

After the university sued the Trump administration, a federal judge on May 23 issued a temporary injunction blocking the Homeland Security Department from revoking Harvard’s ability to enroll foreign students.

Following the president’s May 25 post, it’s not clear if administration officials have officially requested the names and countries of origin of Harvard’s foreign students.

When asked, the Homeland Security Department referred The Epoch Times to its statement announcing the revocation of Harvard’s Student and Exchange Visitor Program certification prior to the judge’s injunction.

White House deputy press secretary Abigail Jackson told The Epoch Times that the president is “simply asking for a list of foreign students studying on Harvard’s campus.”

“It’s an easy request they should be more than willing to provide given all the money they receive—and ask for—from the federal government,” she said.

Harvard did not respond to a request for comment by publication time.

According to the university, Harvard enrolled 6,793 international students in the 2024–2025 school year. That amounts to 27.2 percent of the institution’s total enrollment.

Funding Dispute

In his post, Trump called on Harvard to use its billions of dollars in endowments rather than relying on federal government grants.

Harvard University’s total endowment as of 2024 was $53.2 billion after increasing by $2.5 billion from the previous year, according to the Harvard Crimson.

In April, the Trump administration canceled more than $2.2 billion in federal grants to Harvard, accusing the university of failing to combat anti-Semitism on campus. On May 13, a federal anti-Semitism task force said the institution would lose another $450 million in grants from eight federal agencies.

“There is a dark problem on Harvard’s campus, and by prioritizing appeasement over accountability, institutional leaders have forfeited the school’s claim to taxpayer support,” the task force wrote.

“As a result, eight federal agencies across the government are announcing the termination of approximately $450 million in grants to Harvard, which is in addition to the $2.2 billion that was terminated last week.”

Shortly after the cuts were announced, Harvard filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration to challenge several sanctions it imposed on the university in recent weeks.

“All told, the tradeoff put to Harvard and other universities is clear. Allow the government to micromanage your academic institution or jeopardize the institution’s ability to pursue medical breakthroughs, scientific discoveries, and innovative solutions,” the university wrote in its complaint.

Jack Phillips and Aaron Gifford contributed to this report.