• U.S. revokes Harvard’s ability to enroll new international students over alleged misconduct.

• About 6,800 foreign students, including many Africans, must transfer or leave the country.

• Nigerian students, a major presence at Harvard, face serious disruption.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced yesterday it has revoked Harvard University's certification under the Student and Exchange Visitor Program. This move means Harvard can no longer admit new international students and must ask current ones to either transfer to another school or leave the country. The decision affects around 6,800 foreign students, about 27% of the university’s total student body. Many African students are affected.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem defended the action. The administration “is holding Harvard accountable for fostering violence, antisemitism, and coordinating with the Chinese Communist Party on its campus,” she said. Officials say the university refused to share information about certain student visa holders, triggering the decision. Other American universities could soon face similar sanctions.

Harvard has strongly pushed back, calling the move “illegal and punitive.” The university says it threatens its academic and research mission. This clash is not new. Just weeks ago, the federal government froze $2.2 billion in funding for Harvard after disagreements over how it handled antisemitism accusations on campus.

African students are among the most affected, especially those from Nigeria. Many Nigerian students view Harvard as their top university choice. During the 2023–2024 academic year, over 56,000 students from sub-Saharan Africa were enrolled in U.S. colleges and universities. Roughly 30% to 40% of them aimed for Harvard. Nigeria alone had 20,029 students studying in the United States, an increase of 13.5% from the previous year.

At Harvard Business School, Nigerians are notably well-represented. Although Nigerians make up less than 1% of the overall Black population in the U.S., they account for nearly a quarter of the Black student population in the business school. Additionally, about 25% of Nigerian Americans hold a master’s or professional degree, compared to just 11% of white Americans, according to a university study.

While this latest decision reflects an ongoing political battle between the Trump administration and Harvard, it also raises deeper concerns about the future of African students in the United States. For many, studying abroad is a critical step toward better job opportunities, upward mobility, and international exposure.

But if this policy continues, or spreads to other schools, it may discourage African students from applying to U.S. universities. Instead, they might shift their academic plans to other countries such as Canada, the United Kingdom, or even emerging education hubs on the African continent like South Africa.