Harvard celebrates 374th Commencement while the court reconsiders the ban on foreign students on May 29

Today, Harvard University is celebrating the achievements of its exceptional degree candidates in the class of 2025. Harvard University’s 374th Commencement is being held on May 29.

Harvard University holds its commencement on Thursday, May 29, at a time when one of the world’s most prestigious educational institutions is at a crossroads. Commencement is the ceremony that honors graduating students.

Abraham Verghese, a physician and writer who is Linda R. Meier and Joan F. Lane Provostial Professor of Medicine in the Department of Medicine at Stanford, will be the speaker at Harvard’s 374th Commencement exercises on the morning of May 29, where he will receive an honorary degree.

Students from Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences and Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences were the first to walk into the Yard with banners of their schools, reports The Harvard Crimson.

As graduating seniors and their families lined up outside the gates to Harvard Yard, several said they were proud of the University for standing up to Trump’s attacks on Harvard and higher education.

“We’re going into one of the most volatile times in education, and being a graduate of Harvard, but kind of still representing and showing we will not back down to intimidation,” said Natalie D. Figueroa, a student graduating from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Some families said that the difficult year the University has had makes Commencement even more special.

Crimson Courage, an alumni group advocating for academic freedom, is handing out anti-Trump fliers outside Harvard Yard gates.

Last week’s US government’s de-certification of Harvard University’s Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) was a major setback for one of the most coveted Ivy League colleges in America. This essentially meant that for the 2025–2026 academic year, Harvard would not be able to sponsor F and J visas for scholars and international students.

Thereafter, Harvard moved the court. Harvard’s application was approved by the court, enabling the university to keep accepting scholars and students from abroad while the issue is pending. The federal judge granted Harvard a temporary restraining order in its lawsuit to prevent the Trump administration from revoking its ability to admit overseas students.

In April, the Trump administration blocked more than $2 billion in research funding and contracts, citing charges that Harvard had failed to combat antisemitism on campus. Furthermore, the Trump administration has ordered government agencies to cancel almost $100 million in remaining contracts with Harvard by June 6.

Today, when Harvard University’s 374th Commencement is underway, the court is hearing the SEVP case again.

Trump is coming down heavily on international students and has directed US consulates worldwide not to schedule visa interviews for overseas students. Trump has recommended reducing the number of international students at Harvard to 15%, adding to a recent run of comments insulting the university and demeaning its student body.

On Wednesday, Harvard asked a federal judge for a preliminary injunction to prevent the US Department of Homeland Security from revoking its certification to accept international students.

The motion comes only days after a federal judge granted Harvard a temporary restraining order, barring the DHS from carrying out its order to revoke Harvard’s Student and Exchange Visitor Program certification.

If Harvard’s SEVP revocation is not revoked, hundreds of student visa holders might lose their legal status overnight, leaving them and over 300 dependents vulnerable to deportation.

Students who have already enrolled in Harvard’s 2025-2026 session, paid tuition, obtained F-1 or J-1 study visas, and purchased plane tickets will no longer be permitted to enter the Harvard classroom.

A hearing has been set for Thursday, May 29, to determine whether the temporary order should be extended.