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New Delhi: Harvard University has enrolled a record number of international students in the current academic year even after the Trump administration set a limit on student visas and federal funding for the Ivy League institution. According to data by the university that was released recently, international students made up 28 per cent of Harvard’s total enrollment in the fall of 2025 which is equal to 6,749 students.
This record is the highest number since at least 2002. The increase is moderate however, it stands out at a time when international enrollment across US universities is declining.
Harvard’s international student population grew by nearly 50 students which represents an increase of less than 1 per cent from last year. Data from the Institute of International Education’s Open Doors report shows that foreign student enrollment across universities in the United States fell by 1 per cent during the same period.
Data shows that Harvard continues to attract students from around the world even amid increased scrutiny from the federal government.
Chinese students remain the largest group of international students at Harvard. The number of students from grew by 4.5 per cent, despite high political and economic tensions between the United States and China. Enrollment from South Korea also rose sharply, increasing by 8.7 per cent. In contrast, student numbers from India, the United Kingdom and Canada were slightly lower compared to last year.
Harvard has been a central focus of Donald Trump’s broader campaign to reshape higher education. Last year, the Trump administration had put a hold on billions of dollars in research funding and attempted to block Harvard from enrolling international students after the university rejected demands related to governance, admissions and hiring.
Federal courts ruled in Harvard’s favour in two legal cases involving funding cuts and visa restrictions although the administration has appealed those decisions. Meanwhile, the administration has promoted policies to discourage international enrollment, including offering select universities federal funding incentives if they capped foreign undergraduate enrollment at 15 per cent.
At Harvard, undergraduate international enrollment fell by 2.6 per cent year-over-year. However, graduate programmes saw increased international participation which is the result of the overall growth. This sharply contrasts with national data showing a 12 per cent drop in foreign graduate students across US universities this fall.
