No wonder Harvard University continues to be ranked as the world’s most prestigious educational institution. It has a remarkably diverse international student body, with nearly 27% of its student body coming from other countries. This unique demographic and the diversity that accompanies it translates to about 6,793 international undergraduates and graduate students, hailing from almost every country on earth. Yet recent moves from the Trump administration authorities have darkened their academic experience and future.
Maria Kuznetsova, a graduate student at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, previously worked as a spokesperson for OVD-Info, an independent Russian human rights monitoring organization. Now, she, along with other students, are sounding alarms about their futures and ability to remain in the U.S. Kuznetsova’s pedigree as a Russian human rights activist is deeply rooted. Due to her past advocacy, she is not safe returning to her country of origin. His fellow Russian student Ivan Bogantsev as well intended to remain in the U.S. after completing his program at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Now he faces an unexpected question mark with his future.
Abdullah Shahid Sial, an exchange student from Lahore, Pakistan, is currently the co-president of Harvard’s undergraduate student body. He is overseas now that his exams have concluded. He is nervous about being back on campus. This uncertainty is indicative of wider anxiety that all international students feel regarding their academic futures.
Diverse Reactions from the International Student Community
The current climate at Harvard has prompted many international students to consider their future. Leo Gerdén, one of the graduating Swedish students, reported that many of his classmates are considering transferring to schools overseas. There is a deeper, underlying concern.
Fangzhou Jiang, an intern at Frontier Group, underscored that these policies impact students’ families in multiple ways. They affect partners, kids, school enrollment, employment, eviction and housing status, and many other aspects of family life.
As you can imagine, this situation has left students feeling vulnerable, anxious and unsettled. This is why one Israeli postdoctoral student studying at Harvard said it was painful to be enlisted to this kind of politicized discourse. “We are being used essentially as poker chips in a battle between the White House and Harvard, and it feels honestly very dehumanizing,” said Leo Gerdén.
Israeli students have expressed feeling threatened on campus under the university’s D-I-I clout. Israeli master’s student, responding anonymously to Haaretz on the climate for Jewish students, who say that they are being “used as pawns.” This reality dangerously compounds their safety and security on campus.
Legal Challenges and Institutional Responses
In response to the Trump administration’s policies, Harvard temporarily halted enforcement of a ban on certain international students after filing a lawsuit in federal court. This legal move highlights the university’s dedication to shielding its expansive, multicultural student body from discriminatory regulations that threaten their success.
Many international students said they were still worried about what the future holds. “Many of us have worked our entire lives to get to a university like Harvard, and now we need to wait around and see if we might have to transfer out and face difficulties with visas,” said Karl Molden, a concerned student.
The clock is ticking for students such as Abdullah Shahid Sial. He noted that many colleges have already missed the opportunity to transfer to other colleges in the fall semester. This gives short shrift to everyone in between, who are left high and dry as they chart their academic journeys against the backdrop of unpredictable political currents.
The Toll on Students’ Mental Health
The toll of these uncertainties on students’ mental health is immeasurable. A graduate student from Australia, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, remarked, “It feels extraordinary that we are all being punished for campus activism.” This perception underscores the emotional toll traditional schools are adding onto students who are already grappling with immense academic stress.
As a graduate student, I’m sure you all know this, I really, really get deep into my research work. I put in 80-100 hours a week regularly on it. The new stress spawned from the looming threat of an immigration policy adjustment only adds to an exhausting and challenging journey through academia.
It’s heartening to see how the international community at Harvard continues to come together during this tumultuous time. Students are blogging about their experiences and getting into the nitty gritty of strategy. Their perseverance to overcome these hurdles, all the while pursuing their academic goals, is unparalleled.
