Trump's ban on Harvard foreign students may come at a hefty price to the economy
Source: The Hill
05/24/25 5:00 PM ET
The Trump administration’s efforts to block international students from Harvard could come at a hefty price — and not just for the university. Harvard students are top innovators in the country, with foreign-born alumni leading dozens of successful startups. Besides their business contributions, international students more broadly make up a sizeable portion of spending in their areas, throwing almost $44 billion into the U.S. economy.
“We turn global talent away at our own expense. Losing international students’ contributions will negatively impact domestic students’ understanding of the world and have dire consequences for the country’s economic strength, security, and global competitiveness,” said Fanta Aw, executive director and CEO of the Association of International Educators, or NAFSA, in a statement.
“These outcomes run counter to the administration’s stated goal of making America safer, stronger, and more prosperous,” Aw added. Along with saying new international talent cannot come to Harvard, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) this week demanded that current foreign students leave the school for other colleges. A judge on Friday temporarily blocked the move and scheduled a hearing for Thursday to consider a longer pause.
District Judge Allison Burroughs noted Harvard’s concern “it will sustain immediate and irreparable injury before there is an opportunity to hear from all parties.” If a later ruling allows the ban to move forward, Harvard would feel the pinch immediately: 27 percent of its student body, or some 6,800 attendees, in the 2024-2025 academic year was made up of international students, who typically pay more in tuition and other costs than domestic ones.
Read more: https://thehill.com/homenews/education/5316104-trumps-ban-harvard-foreign-students-economy-dhs-noem/
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