Inside Harvard University's contingency plans for its international students

In response to the Trump administration’s directive to block international students from entering the US, Harvard University has rolled out contingency plans to ensure academic continuity for its overseas student population. With over 7,000 international students and recent graduates affected, Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government and Harvard Business School are offering remote learning options and global alternatives to campus access.

Global sessions and Toronto base
The Kennedy School has announced that students may take their courses online, with faculty-led sessions delivered virtually. In addition, the school plans to host up to three “in-person convenings in cities across the world,” according to a newly launched student resource website. These sessions will be intensive and credit-bearing, taught by Kennedy School faculty. Students who cannot travel to the US may also be based at the University of Toronto to continue their degree programs. More than half the Kennedy School’s students are from outside the US.

“We hope to see you on campus in the fall, but if that is not possible, we will bring HKS to you,” Jeremy M. Weinstein, dean of the Kennedy School, wrote in an email to school affiliates. The development was first reported by The Harvard Crimson.

Back to pandemic-era model
At Harvard Business School, a similar strategy is in place. Dean Srikant Datar confirmed that the school would adapt the hybrid learning model used during the COVID-19 pandemic. In an interview posted on the school's alumni page, he said, “Should foreign students not be allowed to enroll, we will need to draw on the creativity of our community, as we did during the pandemic, to reimagine an MBA program that both embraces and overcomes a geographically dispersed class.”

He also mentioned the use of Harvard’s international research centers and alumni networks to enable in-person learning experiences across various countries. International students account for 35% of the business school’s master’s program and 40% of its doctoral programs.

Trump vs Harvard
The changes follow a dispute that escalated on May 22, when the Department of Homeland Security revoked Harvard’s eligibility to host foreign students under the Student and Exchange Visitor Program. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said the move was prompted by Harvard’s “failure to comply” with information requests related to international student misconduct—an accusation the university has denied.

After Harvard filed a lawsuit challenging the federal action, the Trump administration issued a White House proclamation barring its international students, invoking a Cold War-era law never before used against a domestic institution. Last week, Judge Allison D. Burroughs of the US District Court in Boston issued a preliminary injunction to halt enforcement of the administration’s directives while legal proceedings continue.