On Thursday, the 22nd of May, it was reported that the current US Government was revoking Harvard University’s right to admit international students. This action will impact many prospective and existing students at the university and has the potential to extend beyond Harvard.
Is there potential for more universities – specifically Ivy League universities – to face a similar fate to Harvard, and will this have a noticeable impact on applications to universities in other countries, including the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge in the UK? In this guide, we’ll explore the situation to understand how this situation may impact university applications as a whole.
Trump Administration Halts Harvard International Enrolments
Firstly, let’s understand the situation as it stands. On May 22nd, Harvard University was notified by the Trump Administration that its Student and Exchange Visitor Program certification was being revoked following its failure to provide requested documentation relating to foreign student visa holders. The letter sent to the university, which was shared online by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, confirms that the revocation was in place “effective immediately”.
This is the latest development in the ongoing feud between US President Donald Trump and Harvard University. Since coming into office in January 2025, the president has criticised the university on numerous occasions, accusing it of fostering violence, anti-semitism and anti-Americanism. So far, this has resulted in billions of dollars of funding cuts and loss of grants for the university.
Although the certification has been revoked, the university was given a chance to reinstate its ability to admit foreign students. However, the terms for this will require Harvard to release records (including audio and video footage) of any illegal activity conducted by non-immigrant students over the past five years. Harvard was given 72 hours to release this record at the time of receiving the letter.
Shortly after receiving the letter, Jason Newton, a representative from the university, stated that the move from the government was “unlawful” and that they are “fully committed to maintaining Harvard’s ability to host international students and scholars”. Hours later, it was confirmed that the university is suing President Trump for blocking foreign student enrolments, the . This indicates that it’s unlikely the demands will be met within the requested time period.
How Will Harvard’s International Student Cohort Be Affected?
Harvard has reported that, in its 2024-25 cohort, the university houses 6,793 students from outside the USA, which reportedly makes up 27.2% of the student population. This is the highest percentage of international students at the university in 20 years, with the total gradually increasing from 3,941 (19.6%) in 2006-07.
As part of the decision made by Trump’s administration, currently enrolled students from overseas may need to move their studies to other universities or risk losing their legal status in the US. This would cause massive disruption for the current international student cohort, which the university has stated it is aiming to avoid.
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Will Other Ivy League Universities Halt International Student Admissions?
Although Harvard has been the primary target of the Trump Administration’s attack on the conduct of elite US universities, other members of the Ivy League Group have also faced scrutiny regarding their handling of potential anti-semitism and broader DEI policies.
If you’re unaware, the Ivy League is a US equivalent to the UK’s Russell Group. It’s a collection of eight long-standing and highly prestigious universities from across the country, each of which is known for its high standard of teaching and competitiveness for applicants.
At the time of writing, only Harvard has faced a revocation of its Student and Exchange Visitor Program certification, but Kristi Noem has stated that other universities could face similar actions if they fail to comply with government requests.
Although this threat is valid for all US universities (with Northwestern University already facing funding cuts), let’s focus on each Ivy League university’s current standing with the Trump administration and how likely each one is to be banned from admitting foreign students in the future:
Brown University
In April 2025, President Trump had threatened to freeze $510m in grants to Brown University following concerns of DEI policies and antisemitism on campus. Currently, this freeze has not come into effect, but it highlights that the university is a target for the Trump administration.
The university’s seeming non-compliance with the government’s requests could likely lead to a similar halt on international student admissions. Currently, at least one student, multiple graduates and an associate professor have had their visas revoked.
Columbia University
Columbia University was actually the first Ivy League university to be singled out by the president, with $51m of contracts initially being placed at risk in March. This was soon followed by the cancellation of $400m of federal funding at the university, which was later reinstated following various actions taken by the university. This included the suspension and expulsion of multiple student protestors.
This compliance was further cemented later in March after a series of policy changes were announced at the request of the administration. While this initial compliance suggests that the university may be safe from further action, the university was actually accused by the Trump administration of violating the civil rights of Jewish students. This accusation was made on May 22nd 2025, and covers cases dating as far back as 2023.
A spokesperson from the university has said that Columbia is aiming to work with the government to fight anti-semitism on campus. For now, a ban on international admissions is unlikely, but the relationship between them remains uneasy as further accusations may be made.
Cornell University
In April 2025, Cornell University faced a $1b freeze in federal funding following accusations of civil rights violations on the campus. As of the time of writing, no agreement has been made between the university and the Trump administration, so this funding has not been reinstated. Should this stand-off continue, there is a chance that Cornell may also lose its right to admit international students.
Dartmouth University
Dartmouth University is currently the only university in the Ivy League to have avoided significant condemnation from the Trump administration. This, in part, may be due to Dartmouth’s president’s decision not to sign an open letter opposing the actions taken against universities by the government (this occurred before Harvard’s loss of its Student and Exchange Visitor Program certification). It was the only one of the eight Ivy League universities not to sign.
Provided the university stays on this course, it is unlikely to face any direct action from the government, although broader actions taken by the administration may impact the university in less direct ways.
University of Pennsylvania
PennU has faced both funding cuts and demands for records under the current Trump administration, although they have been far less severe than those seen by its Ivy League peers. In March, the administration paused $175m over policies relating to transgender athletes, while it also made demands for additional records after stating the records provided by the university were incomplete and inaccurate. The president of the university, J Larry Jameson MD, made a statement regarding the funding freeze, but the situation has not yet been resolved.
While these situations do not appear to put the university in good standing with the president, the actions taken against it have currently been less disruptive, meaning it may be less likely to experience a halt in international student enrolment.
Princeton University
Princeton University faced a $210m suspension to federal grants in April 2025 due to investigations of antisemitism. This included $4m of funding for climate research and other major projects. However, the university has reportedly not received specific demands from the Trump administration in order to regain the grants.
As of the time of writing, the status of the funding is unknown, which leads to a level of uncertainty for the university that could escalate to international enrolment bans.
Yale University
Although Yale had previously been among the universities targeted by the Trump administration, it has made steps to improve its standing with the government, which has spared it from funding cuts at the time of writing. Representatives from the government also claimed they were “cautiously encouraged by Yale’s actions” after the university took multiple actions to comply with requests from the administration.
In its current situation, Yale is unlikely to face any action relating to its international student enrolment.
With at least three more Ivy League universities potentially at risk of losing their Student and Exchange Visitor Program certifications, many applicants considering studying in the US may be looking for alternatives, with the UK being a prime target. Let’s find out why this is and how it may affect UK university admissions.
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How UK Universities Could Be Affected By Harvard’s International Enrolment Freeze
In recent years, UK universities have seen an increase in applications from overseas. Although many universities have seen a drop in EU applicants since the implementation of Brexit, this shortfall has been covered somewhat by an increase in interest in applicants from China, the USA and more. UniAdmissions Headmaster, Dr Rohan Agarwal, explains further:
The trend has been building for a while, but the actions of the Trump administration may cause the largest influx of international applicants seen yet. This doesn’t relate to just the actions taken against Harvard University, but broader actions that have seen the arrest and deportation of multiple students in the US who engaged in forms of protest against the government.
With the safety of some students being put into question, this may encourage more applicants from not just outside of the US, but inside the US too, to reconsider their options. With its reputation for education and the global recognition of Oxbridge and the G5 Group, the UK may be a prime target for those looking to study at prestigious institutions.
Oxford and Cambridge International Student Admissions
Two of the most popular options for applicants are Oxford and Cambridge, generally known as two of the highest-ranked universities in the world. While the two universities are notoriously difficult to get into, acceptance rates for international applicants are particularly low. Below is the admissions data for the 2023 application cycles at Oxford and Cambridge.
Oxford International Acceptance Rate 2023 (Non-EU)
Applicants: 1,572
% of Total Applicants: 6.8%
Offers: 150
% of Total Offers: 4.0%
Acceptances: 119
% of Total Acceptances: 3.7%
Acceptance Rate: 0.5%
Oxford International Acceptance Rate 2023 (EU)
Applicants: 7,003
% of Total Applicants: 30.2%
Offers: 666
% of Total Offers: 17.9%
Acceptances: 540
% of Total Acceptances: 16.8%
Acceptance Rate: 2.3%
Cambridge International Acceptance Rate 2023
Applicants: 7,565
% of Total Applicants: 35.3%
Offers: 1,137
% of Total Offers: 25.0%
Acceptances: 821
% of Total Acceptances: 23.1%
Acceptance Rate: 3.8%
As you can see, international applicants can face acceptance rates below 1% in some instances, although non-UK students do generally make up roughly 20% – 23% of admitted students.
While this is a fairly significant size of the cohort, it is unlikely that the number of available places would increase alongside the rising demand from international applicants. While there is no specific cap on places for international students at either an individual or national level, the current growth trend for acceptances is fairly slow.
However, if the standard of international applications were to go up due to higher-quality applicants choosing Oxbridge instead of Ivy League, there is a chance that the percentage of international students could increase above the current trends.
Universities as a whole may feel more incentivised to admit more high-quality overseas applicants due to the financial benefits of charging higher tuition fees than those for UK students. There isn’t a cap on how much a university can charge international students for tuition, so this may be an opportunity for some institutions to recoup losses that have been endured in recent years. What this means for UK applicants will remain to be seen.
That concludes our look at the situation between Harvard University and the current US government. This situation is still progressing, so we will be sure to update this guide as new details emerge. If you’re interested in learning more about Oxbridge, such as the difference between Oxford and Cambridge or which colleges are best for international applicants, or want a better understanding of the UK university system as a whole (including how it differs from the US system), please explore our collection of guides to gain a comprehensive insight into the topic.
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