‘Without African students, Harvard is not Harvard’: What Trump foreign student visa ban means for South Africa & the continent

As the Trump administration ramps up political retribution against America’s elite universities, the latest move to revoke Harvard University’s ability to enrol international students has sent shockwaves across the globe — with South African and broader African students caught in the crossfire.

More than 6,800 international students — nearly 28% of Harvard’s total student body — now face the risk of being forced to leave the United States or transfer to other institutions. Among them are some of the continent’s most promising scholars, including dozens from South Africa and Nigeria.

“With the stroke of a pen, the government has sought to erase a quarter of Harvard’s student body, international students who contribute significantly to the University and its mission. Without its international students, Harvard is not Harvard,” the institution said in its lawsuit filed in Boston last week.

Harvard’s defiant legal response follows a Department of Homeland Security directive that revoked the university’s certification under the Student and Exchange Visitor Program. Without this, the institution is barred from enrolling new international students or continuing to support the visa status of those already enrolled.

The directive further instructed existing visa holders to “transfer to another university in order to maintain their non-immigrant status” — a move that would affect thousands of students from 146 countries, including those from South Africa.

SA students silenced by fear

Though the university has advised that students “do not need to leave the country or transfer immediately,” the climate of fear is palpable. Daily Maverick reached out to several South African students at Harvard who declined to speak on record.

One said the hope was that the directive was “an empty intimidation tactic” that would soon be overturned by the courts. Harvard has provided dedicated counselling services and risk-assessment tools for students considering international travel.

Africa’s presence at Harvard

In 2022, Harvard enrolled 40 South African students and 14 academic scholars. Nigeria had 48 students and 35 scholars. As of 2023, about 30–40% of the 56,780 sub-Saharan African students in the US were enrolled at elite institutions like Harvard, with South Africa among the key contributors.

Harvard’s Undergraduate South African Society currently counts 21 members, and for many students, attending such a prestigious institution is a launchpad for leadership, innovation and influence back home.

This comes as South Africa works to expand higher education opportunities domestically (ALSO READ)

The financial stakes

International students represent a major revenue stream for elite US universities. At Harvard, annual tuition and living costs amount to approximately $86,926 per student. If all 6,800 foreign students pay full fees, that would bring in over $591 million annually.

International students also contribute significantly to the US economy, generating $43.8 billion in the 2023–2024 academic year through tuition, fees, and living expenses.

Political backdrop: Ramaphosa’s White House gamble

The crackdown on Harvard comes on the heels of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s high-stakes meeting with the Trump administration, which was initially hailed as a diplomatic win after the rand briefly soared.

However, tensions have since flared, with Ramaphosa’s team crying foul over a so-called Oval Office ambush — accusing the Trump administration of turning the visit into a platform for domestic politics, including attacks on South African foreign policy and perceived academic liberalism.

The Harvard ban now casts that visit in a new light, as South Africa’s top students could be directly impacted by a broader political campaign targeting US institutions seen as resistant to Trump-era nationalism.

It also comes amid a rapid deterioration in US–South Africa relations, with Washington recently imposing sanctions on South Africa and cutting aid in response to Pretoria’s land expropriation policies and its genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

Fallout from Pro-Palestine Protests

Adding fuel to the fire are recent reports that over 600 international students and recent graduates in the US have had their visas revoked, many allegedly due to their participation in pro-Palestine protests. One South African student studying in the US told OkayAfrica:

“We cannot pretend that staying quiet will protect us. It’s their time, but at some point, it will be our turn, too.”

Some African students at Harvard now fear that their visa status could be used as leverage in broader ideological battles. As Harvard refuses to hand over protestor data or cooperate with government surveillance demands, it faces more than $3 billion in frozen federal contracts — and the loss of at least $100 million in ongoing research grants.

What comes next?

Harvard is urging students not to panic as legal action unfolds, but the uncertainty has already created immense stress for students and scholars — and by extension, the countries they represent.

For South Africa, the situation underscores the risks of relying on foreign academic institutions to nurture its brightest talent. With tensions rising, some education experts say this may accelerate the push to boost domestic university capacity and support.

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