Harvard University and the University of Toronto have jointly launched a contingency plan that would allow certain international students enrolled at Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government to continue their studies in Canada, should they be barred from returning to the United States.
The initiative, disclosed this week, is the first formal academic back-up plan unveiled in response to President Donald Trump’s renewed efforts to block foreign students from attending U.S. universities on national security grounds. Harvard had recently come under scrutiny from the Department of Homeland Security over its vetting of international students. In a ruling Monday, U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs in Massachusetts found that the administration’s attempt to restrict foreign student enrollment violated the university’s constitutional rights.
Under the proposed arrangement, eligible students who have already completed at least one year at Harvard would be able to enroll at the University of Toronto’s Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy. The program would operate as a visiting student initiative and feature joint instruction by faculty from both institutions, according to a statement shared with Reuters.
“This Plan B is aimed at reducing uncertainty and stress among students,” the universities said, adding that it would only be implemented if a sufficient number of students were prevented from returning to the U.S. due to visa issues or travel bans.
“With these contingency plans in place, HKS will be able to continue to provide a world-class public policy education to all of our students, even if they cannot make it to our campus this year,” said Harvard Kennedy School Dean Jeremy Weinstein.
