The Trump administration escalated its campaign against Harvard on Wednesday, issuing a subpoena for student records and informing the University’s accreditor that there is “strong evidence” that Harvard should lose its accreditation due to federal civil rights law violations.
The administration’s latest moves raise questions about the status of ongoing negotiations—which reportedly restarted late last month—to end the dispute between Harvard and the Trump administration.
The Department of Homeland Security subpoenaed Harvard on Wednesday for documents concerning alleged misconduct by international students and Harvard’s compliance with federal immigration law. The subpoena requires the University to provide records, communications, and other related materials dating back to January 1, 2020.
In a separate move, the Departments of Education and Health and Human Services notified Harvard’s accreditor, the New England Commission of Higher Education, that Harvard violated civil rights law by failing to address discrimination against Jewish students. The notification followed a formal finding last week by the health and human services agency that Harvard has violated Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.
“Harvard is far from indifferent on [antisemitism] and strongly disagrees with the government’s findings,” the University said in a statement. “Harvard continues to comply with the New England Commission of Higher Education’s Standards for Accreditation, maintaining its accreditation uninterrupted since its initial review in 1929.”
Accreditation is critical to any institution of higher education. It certifies that a school meets basic standards of academic quality, legal compliance, and institutional integrity—and is required for access to federal student aid, research funding, and other government support.
While the administration lacks the authority to revoke accreditation directly, it can seemingly trigger review processes by urging accrediting bodies to take action. In June, the administration informed Columbia University’s accreditor, the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, that Columbia had failed to meet civil rights requirements by failing to protect its Jewish students from discrimination.
In response, the accreditor issued Columbia a formal “noncompliance warning.” Columbia must now submit a monitoring report by November 3, 2025, and will undergo a site visit in March 2026.
Meanwhile, the Trump administration has postponed a meeting of a federal panel that advises the education department on which agencies can accredit colleges, The Wall Street Journal reported. The committee was scheduled to vote on whether to recognize Columbia’s accreditor in July. The Department of Education rescheduled that meeting for October—by which time the terms of six current panel members will expire.
New members are appointed by the House, Senate, and the education secretary, raising concerns that a reconstituted panel will alter the outcome of the vote.
Trump has called accreditation his “secret weapon” to reshape higher education and in April signed an executive order to reform the accreditation system, with new emphasis on intellectual diversity and student outcomes.
Since March, the administration has cut approximately $3 billion in federal funding to Harvard, threatened its ability to host international students, and launched multiple investigations into alleged civil rights violations. Although settlement talks resumed late last month, Wednesday’s actions show the path to resolution remains uncertain.
If no deal is reached, a trial over the funding cuts is scheduled to begin on July 21.
