Archive · 27 Jan 2026
Yale and 47 universities back Harvard in international student visa lawsuit
Yale and 47 other universities are helping Harvard in a court case.
They want the government to let universities have international students.
The universities say these students help with important research and make the U.S. a leader in science and technology.
Harvard had a record number of international students in 2025, even though overall numbers in the U.S. went down a little.
The universities are worried that if the government stops this, it will hurt research and make it harder to find doctors.
They also say that many important inventions and discoveries were made by people who were born outside the U.S.
Yale and 47 other U.S. universities filed a legal brief to support Harvard's lawsuit against the federal government's effort to rescind universities' rights to host international students.
The brief argues that international students contribute significantly to scientific research, medical advancement, and technological innovation in the U.S.
Harvard had its highest percentage of international students in decades in 2025, with 28% of its enrollment being international students.
The overall international enrollment in U.S. universities declined by approximately 1% in 2025.
The universities warn that canceling student visa programs could disrupt research, create labor shortages, and undermine the U.S.'s competitiveness in science, technology, and medicine.
- Who
- Yale, 47 other U.S. universities, and Harvard
- What
- Filing an amicus curiae brief to support Harvard's lawsuit against the federal government's effort to rescind universities' rights to host international students
- When
- January 19, 2025
- Where
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit
- Why
- To preserve the ability of U.S. universities to attract and host international students, arguing that it benefits scientific research, medical advancement, and technological innovation
- Number of Universities Supporting Harvard
- 48 (Yale and 47 others)
- Date of Legal Brief Filing
- January 19, 2025
- Percentage of International Students at Harvard in 2025
- 28%
- Total International Students at Harvard in 2025
- Approximately 6,749
- Overall US International Enrollment Trend in 2025
- Declined by approximately 1%
- Court Involved
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit
- Agency Sued by Harvard
- U.S. Department of Homeland Security
- Date of Harvard's Lawsuit Filing
- May 2025