Donald Trump proposes 15% cap on foreign students as he vows to 'make Harvard great again'

28 May 2025, 20:06

Donald Trump has vowed to "make Harvard Great Again" as the US president proposed a 15% cap on the number of foreign students allowed at the university.

Trump sparked chaos for international students hoping to study at the US university this week when he ordered US embassies to halt all student visa applications.

In his latest assault on the prestigious academic institution, he has suggested limiting its foreign students intake.

"I think they should have a cap of maybe around 15%,' he said in the Oval Office on Wednesday.

"We have people who want to go to Harvard and other schools. They can't get in because we have foreign students there."

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He claimed his plan would make Harvard "great again", a referring to his infamous Make America Great Again slogan used in his presidential campaigns.

"'I'm looking out for the country, and for Harvard, I want Harvard to do well, to be great again," he said.

It comes after officials were told to stop scheduling appointments with student visa applicants by Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Meanwhile, a new expanded social media vetting process is currently being prepared by the Trump administration and is likely to be implemented in the near future.

A cable seen by Politico reads: "Effective immediately, in preparation for an expansion of required social media screening and vetting, consular sections should not add any additional student or exchange visitor (F, M, and J) visa appointment capacity until further guidance is issued septel, which we anticipate in the coming days."

In the academic year of 2023-2024, the Institute of International Education Open Doors found that the United States hosted a record-breaking 1.1 million international students.

According to the NAFSA: Association of International Educators, these students generated $43.8 billion through tuition, housing and living expenses.The move sees a continuation of the president's war on elite universities, after he accused them of antisemitism and blasted their "woke" ideology.

Mr Trump also ordered the deportation of foreign students who took part in pro-Hamas protests on college campuses in the US.

In response to the US leader's criticism, universities such as Harvard have fought back and sued the Trump administration.

The legal action comes after the federal government revoked Harvard's certification under the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) and stripped the University of its authority to sponsor F- and J- visas for international students.

Mr Trump also demanded to know the names and countries of orgin of all of the university's 7,000 foreign-born students, claiming it was unacceptable that 31 percent of attendees were "from foreign lands".

In Friday's court filing, the famous Ivy League school said Trump's actions will have an "immediate and devastating effect for Harvard".

"With the stroke of a pen, the government has sought to erase a quarter of Harvard's student body, international students who contribute significantly to the University and its mission," Harvard wrote.