Malaysians Accepted To Harvard Now In Limbo After Trump Blocks Foreign Student Enrolment
Harvard called the move "unlawful" and said it was working quickly to support affected students.
Cover image via Nicholas Pfosi/ReutersMalaysian students accepted to Harvard University are now facing major uncertainty after the Trump administration revoked the Ivy League school's ability to enrol international students
The unprecedented move, announced Thursday by the US Department of Homeland Security, means that Harvard can no longer issue the documents required for student visas under the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) starting with the 2025-2026 academic year.
This also affects current international students, who have been told they must transfer to other institutions or risk losing their legal status in the US, according to Reuters.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem accused Harvard of "fostering violence, antisemitism, and coordinating with the Chinese Communist Party", and gave the university 72 hours to hand over records of foreign students' protest activity if it hopes to regain certification, Reuters reported.
Harvard, in response, called the move "unlawful" and said it was working quickly to support affected students. The university said it remains "fully committed" to educating international scholars and described the US government's action as a politically motivated retaliation.
Image via Faith Ninivaggi/Reuters
When contacted, Harvard Club of Malaysia president Wan Nadiah Wan Mohd Abdullah Yaakob said the situation for Malaysian students at Harvard remains uncertain, but she believes legal action will be taken to challenge the ban on enrolling international students
Nadiah added that more details are still emerging.
She also shared the university's official statement, which read in part, "This retaliatory action threatens serious harm to the Harvard community and our country, and undermines Harvard's academic and research mission".
It remains unclear how many Malaysians will be directly affected.
SAYS has reached out to several students for clarity, but based on Harvard's own data, international students made up 27% of its student population in the 2024-2025 school year. In 2022, Malaysians were among those represented, alongside peers from China, India, Singapore, and other countries.
According to Reuters, a US federal judge has temporarily blocked similar attempts to restrict student visas elsewhere, but it remains unclear if that ruling will extend to Harvard's case.
For now, students accepted into one of the world's most prestigious universities are being treated as collateral damage in what critics say is a politically charged war on academic institutions.
Image via Reuters
Just last month, two Malaysian students secured coveted spots at Harvard College for the Class of 2029.
SAYS has reached out to both for comment:
