The dispute between the Trump administration and Harvard University, explained

CBC News

· Posted: May 27, 2025 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 9 minutes ago

After six months of work, Shreya Mishra Reddy has a fewer much weeks and 1 past learning module lasting betwixt her and the credential she's been chasing for much than fractional her life: Harvard graduate.

The past portion of her enforcement enactment programme astatine Harvard University resumes connected Wednesday. After that, Reddy's booked to alert to Cambridge, Mass., in July to decorativeness her certificate in idiosyncratic and postgraduate from 1 of the astir prestigious universities successful the satellite — a imagination she and her household person shared for good implicit fractional her life. 

It's besides a imagination she says has outgo her astatine least $90,000 US.

Last week, Reddy was successful the mediate of a enactment gathering astatine location erstwhile she saw a notification popular up connected her phone: The Trump medication had banned Harvard University from accepting planetary students similar herself. She studies connected an optional applicable grooming visa, which has allowed her to enactment aft finishing her undergrad astatine Duke University. But that visa expires successful January, and though the prohibition has been temporarily blocked, she said the quality made her tense astir boarding her formation this summer.

"It was wholly confusing and devastating to work thing similar that," Reddy, 33, told CBC's As It Happens successful an interrogation from Toronto, wherever her hubby lives.

"If we're not allowed to beryllium backmost connected campus, we're not allowed to postgraduate ... it takes distant truthful much," added Reddy, who grew up successful India. "Studying astatine Harvard was not truly astir a degree. It was truthful overmuch more."

Reddy is 1 of thousands of planetary students astatine Harvard University who accidental they're successful confused, anxious limbo arsenic they ticker a ineligible conflict unfold betwixt their schoolhouse and the Trump administration. 

Here's a recap of the conflict.

How did the quality start?

Last month, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristy Noem asked Harvard for a trove of backstage pupil information past month, including each planetary student's people enactment and accusation connected immoderate pupil visa holder's disciplinary and ineligible history. Noem aboriginal expanded her petition to see immoderate video footage of planetary students who had been progressive successful illegal, unsafe oregon protestation enactment implicit the past 5 years — whether it beryllium connected oregon disconnected Harvard's campus. 

After a fewer weeks of back-and-forth, Harvard declined portion of the request. The Trump medication retaliated by revoking Harvard's Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP), which meant the assemblage nary longer had the quality to enrol international students.

• Are you a Canadian attending Harvard University? How volition the Trump administration's determination to barroom overseas students impact you and your studies? We'd similar to perceive from you. Send an email to [email protected]

The determination could unit much than one-quarter of the school's enrolment to alteration schools oregon permission the United States.

The authorities besides stripped the assemblage of its authorization to sponsor F and J visas for planetary students and scholars for the 2025-26 world year.

An F-1 visa is simply a visa for overseas nationals usage to participate the United States and be an accredited assemblage similar Harvard. A J-1 visa is for radical taking "approved acquisition and taste speech programs."

Trump has already frozen respective cardinal dollars successful national grants to Harvard successful caller weeks, starring the assemblage to writer to reconstruct the funding. The medication has accused the schoolhouse of not doing capable to curb antisemitism pursuing pro-Palestinian protests that person emerged successful the past 2 years.

How did it get to court?

Harvard sued the medication past Friday. The assertion argued the authorities violated the university's First Amendment rights to power its ain governance and the "ideology" of its students and staff.

"With the changeable of a pen, the authorities has sought to erase a 4th of Harvard's pupil body, planetary students who lend importantly to the assemblage and its mission," work the lawsuit, filed successful the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts. "Without its planetary students, Harvard is not Harvard."

WATCH | Harvard takes Trump medication to court: 

A justice issued a impermanent restraining bid blocking the Trump administration's determination aboriginal Friday. Judge Allison D. Burroughs recovered Harvard has shown the prohibition would origin the assemblage "immediate and irreparable" harm.

That impermanent restraining bid is inactive successful effect. Another proceeding is scheduled successful Boston for Thursday greeting to find whether that bid should beryllium extended, according to the university.

What does the impermanent tribunal bid mean for students?

Since Friday's impermanent bid stopped the administration's ban, Harvard tin support enrolling planetary students and scholars arsenic the ineligible lawsuit works its mode done the courts. 

Harvard's F-1 and J-1 visa programs were restored, according to the university, truthful students and scholars tin determination up with their schoolwork "without interruption." Students who are already successful Boston with their visas volition not person their presumption revoked oregon termination, truthful the schoolhouse said they bash not request to permission the state oregon alteration schools immediately.

WATCH | Canadian Harvard pupil describes the planetary pupil turmoil: 

The concern is much tenuous for students who don't yet person visas oregon who recovered themselves extracurricular the United States erstwhile the administration's prohibition came down. On its website, Harvard said inbound students should beryllium prepared with documentation and a program to cheque successful with friends and household members passim their journey, truthful idiosyncratic tin telephone Harvard's International Office connected their behalf if they don't cheque successful connected time.

"We are advised that immoderate of our traveling planetary students and scholars person been re-admitted to the state without issue, but we besides judge that each idiosyncratic needs to measure their ain risks and marque the prime that is champion for them, fixed their idiosyncratic circumstances," the university's website reads.

Reddy said she's hoping much accusation volition travel up earlier her flight.

"Right now, it's each up successful the air. I'm hoping a solution is reached soon, but successful the meantime, I'm not definite what's going to happen."