Harvard refuses to yield to Trump’s demands to control private schools

A big fight is developing between the Trump administration and Harvard University, thanks to Harvard taking a stand. The argument is about a set of strict new rules the administration is pushing, which they say are meant to stop antisemitism and civil rights violations at top universities.

The conflict started when the administration reviewed the $9 billion in federal money Harvard receives, then escalated with strongly worded letters sent on April 11, 2025. The letter listed major changes the administration wants Harvard to make, as reported by Boston Globe.

Harvard’s response, sent on April 14, 2025, was firm. While saying they oppose antisemitism and bigotry and have worked to make campus more inclusive, they outright refused the administration’s demands. Harvard’s lawyers said the demands went beyond the government’s legal power, violated the university’s free speech rights, and skipped normal legal processes for handling complaints.

Harvard refuses to allow US to force preferred treatment to those who support Trump

The letter also required Harvard to base hiring and admissions only on merit, banning any consideration of race, religion, sex, or national origin. All records on hiring and admissions would be checked by federal auditors until at least the end of 2028. These included restructuring how the university is run to give less power to students and junior faculty while handing more control to senior professors and administrators who the administration believes share its views.

Harvard argued that threatening to cut billions in funding unless Harvard obeyed was unfair and illegal. If this sounds familiar to those of you who took history in school, this is called McCarthyism. Essentially, the idea is to silence anyone else who disagrees with certain views and treat those who agree a lot better. While this seems to be the norm in government positions, Harvard is a private institution.

Other demands focused on international students, requiring Harvard to stop admitting those seen as opposed to American values. The letter also called for an outside review to make sure different political viewpoints were represented in every department, with forced changes if they weren’t. Additionally, the administration ordered Harvard to shut down all diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs right away.

The letter also pushed for stricter punishment of students, including a complete ban on masks at protests and disciplinary action against those involved in past campus protests. Finally, it set up a system for whistleblowers to report if Harvard didn’t follow the rules, protecting them from retaliation.

This strong rejection is very different from how Columbia University reacted last month when faced with similar demands. Columbia agreed to adjust student discipline rules and put a Middle East studies department under new supervision, showing a willingness to cooperate that Harvard has rejected.

The money at risk is huge. Losing billions in federal funding would hurt Harvard’s research, teaching, and hospitals badly. The coming legal fight will center on whether the administration’s demands break laws protecting university independence and free speech. The bigger question is how much control the government should have over private universities.