More than 4,968 Nigerian students at Harvard University are at risk of expulsion following a sweeping new directive from President Donald Trump, banning American universities from recruiting international students.
The controversial policy, announced Thursday by the White House, revokes the right of higher institutions to admit new international applicants — a move seen as a significant escalation in Trump’s ongoing ideological battle with elite academic institutions.
Under the new rules, currently enrolled international students, including thousands from Nigeria, may be forced to transfer or face deportation if universities cannot retain their international enrolment status.
Nigeria: Africa’s Top Contributor to U.S. Higher Education
While precise demographic figures remain confidential, Nigeria is widely recognized as one of the leading sources of international students in the United States — and the top country of origin in Africa.
According to data from African academic monitoring bodies, Nigeria ranks 7th globally and 1st in Africa for students pursuing higher education in the U.S. and at Harvard specifically. At Harvard Business School, Nigerian students account for nearly 25% of the Black student body — a striking testament to the country’s academic prominence.
In the 2023–2024 academic session, 56,780 students from Sub-Saharan Africa were enrolled across American institutions. Of those, approximately 19,873 gained admissions to Harvard. Based on regional estimates, around 4,968 are Nigerian, now caught in the crossfire of restrictive immigration policy.
Global Backlash and Diplomatic Silence
The policy shift has drawn fierce criticism from educational leaders, rights organizations, and global observers, who accuse the Trump administration of targeting international students as political scapegoats.
“International students are not just economic contributors — they are the lifeblood of global research, innovation, and cultural exchange,” said a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution.
Attempts by New Daily Prime to obtain comments from Nigerian embassy officials in Washington, D.C., or directly from affected students were unsuccessful as of the time of this report.
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A Legacy at Risk: Harvard’s Distinguished Nigerian Alumni
Nigerians have long played a transformative role in Harvard’s academic landscape, with many graduates rising to positions of global leadership. Among them:
- Ijeoma Akunyili – Elected to the Harvard Kennedy School Alumni Board in 2024. Daughter of the late Dr. Dora Akunyili, former Director-General of NAFDAC.
- Lawrence Baraebibai Ekpebu – The first African to graduate from Harvard College in 1960. He later held senior diplomatic and public service roles in Nigeria.
- Adebayo Ogunlesi – A 1979 graduate of Harvard Law and Business Schools (JD-MBA). Chairman of Global Infrastructure Partners and board member at Goldman Sachs and OpenAI.
- Okechukwu Enelamah – Earned his MBA as a Baker Scholar at Harvard Business School in 1994. Served as Nigeria’s Minister of Industry, Trade, and Investment (2015–2019).
With diplomatic responses slow and students left in limbo, advocates warn the consequences could be devastating. Loss of access to world-class education, research funding, and global networks may set back entire generations of African scholars.
“Policies like this don’t just close doors — they erase futures,” said an education policy expert at UNESCO.
As the academic world watches with growing concern, nearly 5,000 Nigerian students now face an uncertain fate, their dreams and degrees hanging in the balance.
