Harvard must either meet these 6 demands in 72 hours or lose all rights to enrol foreign students

Thousands of international students, including nearly 800 from India, are in limbo after Harvard University was stripped of its ability to enrol foreign nationals. But the Trump administration has offered a narrow 72-hour window for Harvard to comply with six strict conditions to regain its authority under the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP).

Until then, Harvard can no longer admit foreign students on F-1 or J-1 visas, a blow that affects roughly 6,800 international students, accounting for a quarter of its total student population. The decision leaves students with two options: transfer to another SEVP-certified institution or risk deportation for losing legal status in the United States.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which revoked Harvard's SEVP certification, is demanding that the university furnish extensive documentation within 72 hours. The conditions, outlined in a formal directive, centre around monitoring and accountability for international students’ conduct on campus.

The six conditions Harvard must meet are:

1. Submit all records, formal or informal, including video/audio footage, related to any illegal activity by non-immigrant students (on or off campus) over the past five years.

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2. Provide all records of any dangerous or violent activity by non-immigrant students in the same period.

3. Turn over documentation of any threats to other students or university personnel by non-immigrant students.

4. Share records of any deprivation of rights involving non-immigrant students and others in the university community.

5. Provide all disciplinary records of non-immigrant students from the past five years.

6. Submit all audio or video evidence of protest activity involving non-immigrant students on any Harvard campus since 2019.

The ultimatum comes amid ongoing tensions between the Trump administration and Harvard over what federal officials describe as “campus antisemitism” and the university’s handling of political protests. The demand to share protest footage and disciplinary actions marks a sharp escalation in the federal scrutiny of elite academic institutions.

Harvard has not yet commented on whether it will comply. If the university does not meet the six conditions within the stipulated time, it risks being permanently barred from sponsoring student visas, an outcome that would severely disrupt the academic and professional futures of thousands of international students.