Harvard University’s foreign student enrollment has reached a two-decade high for the fall 2025 academic year, with the prestigious Ivy League institution welcoming a record 6,749 international students, representing 28% of its total student body.
This milestone, the highest since at least 2002 according to university data, comes amid intense scrutiny and policy pressures from the Trump administration, which has repeatedly sought to limit student visas and federal funding for Harvard.
The modest increase of roughly 50 students from the previous year bucks the national trend, where foreign enrollment across U.S. universities declined by 1% during the same period, per the Institute of International Education’s Open Doors report.
While overall international student numbers held relatively steady, new enrollments plunged 17% nationwide, largely attributed to visa restrictions, delayed processing, and broader immigration crackdowns under the current administration.
Harvard University’s foreign students enrollment growth was particularly notable in graduate and professional programs, offsetting a 2.6% dip in undergraduate international admissions.
The T.H. Chan School of Public Health led the surge with an 8% rise in foreign students. Enrollment from China, the largest international group at Harvard, climbed 4.5% despite escalating U.S.-China tensions over trade and technology.
South Korean student numbers grew by 8.7%, while figures from India, the UK, and Canada remained flat or slightly declined.
Harvard University’s foreign student enrollment numbers are especially striking given the Trump administration’s aggressive stance toward Harvard.
Last year, Trump’s administration froze billions in research funding and attempted to block the university from enrolling international students after Harvard refused demands related to governance, admissions, and hiring practices. Federal courts intervened, siding with the university in legal challenges over funding cuts and visa restrictions, though appeals continue.
The Trump administration has made it known that it doesn’t want as many international students in higher education, offering a funding edge for schools that create a 15% cap for international undergraduate enrollment, among other requirements.
The Trump administration recently touted a new record of 100,000 visa revocations in the U.S. over the past year. Of those, 8,000 were student visas.
Trump signed a proclamation barring Harvard’s international students from entering the country. The federal government also ordered stricter vetting for Harvard visa applicants.
The university sued the Trump administration on both federal funding cuts and actions against foreign students. A federal judge sided with the university on both cases. However, the case over federal funding has been appealed by the federal government.
