Trump wants to know 'names and countries' of foreign students attending Harvard

President Donald Trump criticized Harvard University on Saturday night in a post on Truth Social, taking issue with the college receiving federal funds while enrolling a large number of international students without sufficient transparency.

“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. Nobody told us that,” Trump wrote. “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. Harvard has $52,000,000, use it, and stop asking for the Federal Government to continue GRANTING money to you!”

Trump’s comments came after a federal judge issued a temporary restraining order against his administration’s efforts to strip Harvard of its ability to enroll international students. The administration, through the Department of Homeland Security, had moved Thursday to revoke the university’s access to the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP), the system that tracks foreign students in the US.

The Trump administration requested that Harvard provide extensive behavioral records of foreign students, including protest footage and disciplinary records from the past five years for visa holders. However, Harvard allegedly failed to comply with the request, according to a report by Fox News.

Harvard condemned the move, calling the administration’s ban attempt a “blatant violation” of legal protections and free speech. University President Alan M. Garber said in a statement, “We condemn this unlawful and unwarranted action. It imperils the futures of thousands of students and scholars across Harvard and serves as a warning to countless others at colleges and universities throughout the country who have come to America to pursue their education and fulfill their dreams.”

“For those international students and scholars affected by yesterday’s action, know that you are vital members of our community,” Garber added. “You are our classmates and friends, our colleagues and mentors, our partners in the work of this great institution. Thanks to you, we know more and understand more, and our country and our world are more enlightened and more resilient. We will support you as we do our utmost to ensure that Harvard remains open to the world.”

The university also posted on X, “Without its international students, Harvard is not Harvard.”

International enrollment at Harvard has steadily increased in the last two decades. In the 2006–07 academic year, the university hosted just under 4,000 international students. That number rose to nearly 6,800 for the 2024–25 academic year, accounting for approximately 27.2 percent of total enrollment. The top countries of origin for these students are China, Canada, India, South Korea, and the United Kingdom.