International Students
Human Rights Working Group Hosts Event Calling for Action on Uyghur Crisis
Around 80 Harvard affiliates gathered in the Barker Center for the event, officially titled the Uyghur Culture Fest. The evening included catered Uyghur cuisine, dancing, and calligraphy as well as somber testimonials from those missing family members due to the current crisis.
Students from Southern Africa Cancel Winter Travel Plans Due to Omicron Travel Ban
After the United States banned travel from several countries in southern Africa due to the emergence of a new coronavirus variant, Harvard undergraduates from the region lamented that they will not return home over winter recess for fear of not being able to return to campus.
Some International Students Left Searching for Vaccine Options to Meet Harvard’s Fall Vaccine Requirement
Some international students, including incoming freshmen, reported navigating hurdles to get vaccinated this summer before in-person life at Harvard resumes in the fall.
HSPH Pilots Hybrid Course for International Students
The Harvard School of Public Health developed and ran a novel hybrid course in which 16 instructors rotated teaching 3-hour lectures for a class of 34 first-year international students this spring.
Bacow Calls for Visa Flexibility, Increased Access for International Students
University President Lawrence S. Bacow urged U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to “ease the return to campus” for international students by permanently increasing visa flexibility in a letter sent Monday.
International Freshmen Try to Obtain Visas, Vaccines Ahead of In-Person Fall Semester
International freshmen said they reacted to Harvard’s plan for an in-person fall with excitement but said it marks only the beginning of a multi-step process — complicated by visa policies and vaccination rollouts — they must complete before arriving in Cambridge in August.
Distanced from Campus Life, International Students Attempt to Assemble Blocking Groups
On Thursday, hundreds of international freshmen — who have been restricted from Harvard campus life by international visa restrictions — will commit to a group of up to eight students with which to be placed in one of Harvard’s 12 upperclassman houses for the next three years.
‘Doesn’t Cut It’: College Seniors React to Commencement Announcement
Harvard’s decision Friday to postpone its in-person Commencement Exercises in favor of a May virtual ceremony for the second year in a row was met with dismay but expectation from some seniors.
Harvard Law School Students Push for Changes to ‘Stringent’ Class Recording Policy
Numerous students criticized Harvard Law School for its policy on class recordings, which they called “stringent” and “punitive.” Some argued that the Law School has abandoned some of its most vulnerable students in the middle of a pandemic.
Harvard Graduate Council Reviews Covid-19 Academic Challenges, Signs Letters to Biden Administration
The Harvard Graduate Council reviewed survey data about the graduate student experience in the pandemic era, and also signed letters to the Biden administration co-written by the MIT Graduate Student Council during its second public meeting of the semester Wednesday.
Amid Social Distancing, Thousands of Harvard Students ‘Shoot Their Shot,’ Find Friends Through Datamatch
Datamatch — a free matchmaking service run by Harvard students — boasted sign ups from more than half of Harvard’s undergraduate population this year.
The ‘Second’ Class of 2024
More than 20 international freshmen interviewed said their first semester of college was marked by nocturnal schedules, social isolation, and inadequate support from the College. Many said they feel pessimistic that things will get better this spring.
Oyun-Erdene Luvsannamsrai, Recent Kennedy School Graduate, Appointed Mongolian Prime Minister
Oyun-Erdene Luvsannamsrai, a recent Kennedy School alum, ascended to the post of Prime Minister of Mongolia on Jan. 27 following his predecessor’s resignation in response to protests over the country’s Covid-19 response.
Harvard and the Biden Administration
As Joe Biden is inaugurated as the 46th U.S. president Wednesday, a team of Crimson reporters explored how the Biden administration will affect international students, admissions, labor, and everything in between at Harvard. Here's a look at how the Biden administration will reshape the University — and what role Harvard will play in shaping it.
Undergraduate Council Petition Urges College to Strengthen Support for International Students
Harvard’s Undergraduate Council launched a petition Tuesday calling on the College to strengthen support for international students during the spring semester.
Covid-19 Sends Students Home, Ushers in Remote Learning
Five days after waking up to a March 10 email informing them of Harvard’s decision to de-densify campus, most College students found themselves uprooted from residential life and scattered across the globe.
Bacow Asks Biden to ‘Act Without Delay’ to Grant Visa Leniency to International Students
University President Lawrence S. Bacow penned a letter to President-elect Joe Biden on Monday asking him to instate new immigration policies that protect international students.
Harvard Students Enrolled At Oxford Say They Enjoy An Abnormal Return to Campus Life
The coronavirus-era has not precluded Harvard students enrolled at the University of Oxford from enjoying a somewhat normal fall term.
Far from Cambridge, Students Balance Remote Classes, Virtual Social Lives, and an Uncertain Future
Harvard’s decision to house mostly first-year students for the fall semester motivated many upperclassmen students to search for off-campus housing.
Unable to Return Home, Harvard Students Brace for Winter on Campus
While most Harvard students who spent the semester on campus have now departed for the year, those remaining in the dorms are bracing to spend Thanksgiving mostly alone, with some even preparing to ride out the winter in Cambridge.
Biden Victory Elicits Relief and Reservations Among Student Advocates
Following President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s election, many of Harvard’s student affinity and advocacy groups expressed both relief and reservations about the incoming administration.
International Students Express Relief Over Biden Win
International students said they felt “immense” relief over President-elect Joseph R. Biden’s projected electoral victory on Saturday, marking the end of a five-day saga full of anticipation, chaos, and uncertainty.
Harvard Kennedy School Students Grapple with Spring 2021 Decision
Harvard Kennedy School students say they are conflicted about spring plans following the school’s decision to offer in-person classes for international students in the spring.
Harvard Undergraduate Council Condemns DHS Proposal Restricting Student Visas
Harvard’s Undergraduate Council passed two pieces of legislation Sunday to endorse a letter condemning a proposed U.S. Department of Homeland Security rule that would impose new time limits on student visas.
'Harvard Has Suffered,' Chief Officer for International Affairs Says of Visa Troubles for International Students
Vice Provost for International Affairs Mark C. Elliott denounced a recent U.S. Department of Homeland Security rule that would reduce how much time international students would be able to spend inside the United States in an interview Thursday.