Trump Claims Harvard's Foreign Students Come from Countries Paying Little or Nothing for Education

President Donald Trump took aim at leading U.S. universities on Sunday, criticizing foreign countries for not contributing financially to the education of their citizens studying at institutions like Harvard. The president’s remarks come as tensions escalate between the Trump administration and Harvard over its enrollment of international students.

"Why isn’t Harvard saying that almost 31% of their students are from FOREIGN LANDS, and yet those countries, some not at all friendly to the United States, pay NOTHING toward their student’s education, nor do they ever intend to," Trump posted on Truth Social early Sunday. He further questioned the university’s transparency, stating, "We want to know who those foreign students are, a reasonable request since we give Harvard BILLIONS OF DOLLARS, but Harvard isn’t exactly forthcoming. We want those names and countries." Trump also referenced the university's substantial endowment, urging Harvard to use its own resources rather than depending on federal funds.

The dispute intensified after the Department of Homeland Security moved to terminate Harvard's participation in the student visa program. This action was reportedly prompted after the university declined to provide extensive behavioral records of international students, which included footage of protest activity, disciplinary records, and documentation of any illegal or violent behavior.

On Friday, a federal judge issued a temporary order blocking the administration from canceling Harvard’s student visa program. The ruling came in response to a lawsuit filed by Harvard arguing that the new policy would impact more than 7,000 international students—nearly one quarter of its student body. In its filing, Harvard condemned the move as a “blatant violation of the First Amendment, the Due Process Clause, and the Administrative Procedure Act.”

“It is the latest act by the government in clear retaliation for Harvard exercising its First Amendment rights to reject the government’s demands to control Harvard’s governance, curriculum, and the ‘ideology’ of its faculty and students,” the university said in its complaint.

The government’s request for student data sparked concern among civil liberties advocates and university officials alike. Requested materials included:

• All protest activity involving student visa holders, regardless of criminality
• Disciplinary records from the past five years
• Footage or records of known illegal, dangerous, or violent activities
• Any threats or deprivation of rights of other students or personnel

Harvard described the administration’s policy as "pernicious" and accused officials of abruptly upending decades of established procedures without proper justification or due process.

At least a dozen Harvard students have already had their student visas revoked amid mounting scrutiny of campus protests. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Congress that the administration has likely revoked thousands of such visas and indicated that more revocations could follow.

Amid these developments, the administration has moved to freeze nearly $3 billion in federal funding to Harvard—largely earmarked for research—citing the university’s alleged failure to adequately address campus antisemitism and its continued commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.

The court’s temporary order is expected to remain in place while legal proceedings continue, with both Harvard and the Trump administration preparing for a prolonged battle over the future of international education at U.S. universities.