On the first day of activities for Harvard’s 2025 Commencement ceremonies, the steps of Widener Library were awash with color. In knee-high crimson dresses and black robes, tassels tossed to the side, students posed before unfurled banners with easy smiles. Parents snapped dozens of photographs and gave directorial cues: “No, more to the right. Hold up your arms. Now hands on hips. Perfect.” Meticulously-arranged rows of white chairs faced Memorial Church, where the Baccalaureate service was about to begin.
Yet behind all the joy and celebration, another story is quietly unfolding. On Sidechat, the anonymous conversation forum popular among students, a far different picture had been emerging. A graduating senior, who asked to remain anonymous out of safety concerns, commented: “I’ve been seeing people selling Commencement tickets because international families are scared to come.”
On May 22, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) revoked Harvard’s certification to host international students under the Student and Exchange Visitor Program, alleging noncompliance with federal rules and failure to address accusations of campus antisemitism. This action jeopardized the status of nearly 7,000 international students. Harvard responded by suing the administration, and on May 23, a federal judge issued a temporary restraining order blocking the ban, allowing international students to remain enrolled for now. The legal situation remains unresolved.
Harvard Magazine spoke with a dozen graduating Harvard students, many of whom expressed concerns about backlash; their comments are published anonymously while offering a candid glimpse into the conversations taking place amid the uncertainty of the international students ban.
“There’s kind of just overall a general sense of [international students] not feeling like they belong here,” the same student continued. “And then I’ve also been seeing students put on Sidechat, ‘I have like a hotel that’s available now. Like, I can send you the details.’”
Another student, also a graduating senior, reflected that his international friend took a gap year last year. The friend is now worried that he won’t be able to graduate in 2026 if his study visa is revoked.
Many students and their families declined to comment. Some, however, held strong views: “It’s a blatant attempt to blackmail the University by attacking vulnerable students so that they can take over the apparatus that produces anything critical of the administration,” said one, who identified as an international student. “They do the same thing with illegal and undocumented immigrants who are also vulnerable. They target them for the same reason.”
“I think it’s intended to attack the University and strip away First Amendment rights,” said another graduating senior who is a U.S. citizen. “If the administration cared about First Amendment rights, then they wouldn’t be getting mad at students for speaking out about something that they care about. I think all my international friends are a bit anxious because one day they’re able to study the U.S. and the next day, the rug’s been pulled out from under them. It’s been stressful for them, I think, but for the most part everyone that I know has their families here, and they’re just trying to enjoy the moment and take it all in.”
A student-run, in-person rally supporting international students took place on Tuesday evening at the Harvard Science Center Plaza. As news helicopters circled overhead and students from other universities gathered with signs of support, a chant went up from the assembled crowd: “First our funding, now our friends! We will fight until this ends!”
"This is not just a fight for international students," professor of government Ryan Enos told the gathering. "This is a fight for democracy and rule of law."
More than 2,000 Harvard alumni also registered for a webinar that evening, sponsored by a group called “Crimson Courage,” which described itself as a community of alumni “standing up for academic freedom.” The listed speakers included Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey ’92; New York Lieutenant Governor Antonio Delgado, J.D. ’05; The Bulwark editor William Kristol ’73, J.D. ’79; Harvard Law School professor Randall Kennedy, Hon. A.M. ’89; American Association of University Professors president Todd Wolfson; and, as moderator, journalist E.J. Dionne Jr. ’73.
One group of students in the Yard on Tuesday, who identified as Trump supporters, shared a different perspective. “We love Trump,” said a student who was getting ready to take photographs on the Widener steps. “The University has no rights to admit international students. This is perfectly within the federal government’s purview—to allow and not allow for visas.” Asked whether she believed the policy would help the country as a whole, she replied, “I don’t know. I do think the Ivy League admits a lot of students who hate our country.”
When the conversation turned to the broader role of universities—whether they should be places for learning, removed from political interference—she acknowledged, “I mean, yeah, ideally.” And when asked whether a meritocratic system should prioritize admitting the most accomplished applicants, regardless of nationality, the student responded, “Well, that’s not how Harvard has ever operated. There’s always a quota for international students. There’s always a certain number of students that you get from these geographic areas. So, of course, Harvard should have the best and brightest. And if they’re international, fine. But is there a right to that? I don’t think so.”
Her friend, standing next to her, interjected: “I mean, obviously, I think international students are very important for Harvard. I think right now, the Trump administration is just trying to use that to strong-arm Harvard into cooperating. And I think Harvard is being stubborn and that it’s becoming the symbol of resistance against the Trump administration, and so Harvard’s not going to compromise on anything—even though if you actually read the proposals sent by Trump to Harvard, some of the items are unreasonable, and some of them are reasonable. And so, it just seems we’re in a mini–Cold War right now.”
“It’s a really extreme decision and an overreach of government,” said another student, a U.S. citizen. “I also think that based on whatever allegations the school is facing, this has nothing to do with that.”
One graduating master’s candidate from the Harvard Graduate School of Education said he supports the University’s actions in the face of the Trump administration: “Harvard is a very diverse institution, and I think for us, we really do care about our international students. We strive for equity here, so we really want to ensure that everybody feels they’re included, that they belong here—which they do. We’re just very proud to see Harvard taking that stand. And hopefully it could also serve as an example for other institutions to follow in its footsteps.”
“There’s an assumption that everybody from Harvard is privileged—or this institution only serves a very small percentage of the world—and that’s just not the case,” he continued. “In terms of diversity, Harvard serves all people. I come from a first-generation, low-income background, and the institution has done a lot for me and [for] my sister who also attended Harvard College.”
When the opening speaker for the College Baccalaureate Service referred to students coming from “all around this wide world,” a cheer erupted from the crowd. As Harvard’s Class of 2025 graduates, uncertainty still looms over many of their peers. For now, the celebrations continue—but so does the fight over who gets to be part of them.
