In 2025, the Trump administration tried harder to restrict Harvard from enrolling international students. Despite increased political and policy pressure from the Trump administration on foreign students and visa programs, Harvard University registered its greatest percentage of international students in decades for the fall 2025 admission, reports The PIE News.
International students accounted for 28% of Harvard’s total enrolment, or about 6,749 students, the largest proportion since at least 2002. In a year when nothing was going in favour of Harvard, the university managed to show a modest increase of around 50 students in 2025, over the previous year.
The growth stands out against the broader US trend, where international enrolment across American universities fell by about 1% over the same period.
Indians at Harvard
The data on Enrollment by Country of Citizenship for US Nonresidents for Fall 2025 shows 545 Indians got admission in Harvard.
College : 31
Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS): 107
Business : 115
Dental : 6
Design : 41
Divinity : 7
Education : 36
Govt : 71
Law : 22
Medical : 17
Public Health : 25
Extension : 67
Top Countries at Harvard
China : 1,452
Canada : 746
India : 545
South Korea : 287
Australia : 140
United Kingdom (UK): 143
Brazil : 167
Japan : 109
Germany: 174
The increase was driven mainly by graduate programmes, while undergraduate international enrolment dipped slightly. Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health reported an around 8% rise in international student numbers.
The enrolment gains come amid an ongoing clash with the Trump administration, which has sought to tighten visa rules and challenge universities’ ability to host international students. Harvard has legally contested federal efforts that could restrict or revoke its certification to enroll foreign students.
Despite the political headwinds, the data suggest Harvard has continued to attract international students, particularly at the graduate level.
In 2025, DHS had terminated $2.7 million in DHS grants for Harvard. Back in May-June 2025, Harvard was engaged in a two-pronged conflict with the Trump administration. One relates to the budget freeze, and the other to the authorization to host overseas students.
In May 2025, the US Department of Homeland Security revoked Harvard University’s certification to host overseas students and terminated its Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) certification. However, Harvard went to court and got a temporary restraining order (TRO).