A lot of uncertainty: The moods of Kazakh students at Harvard
Currently, Harvard has filed two lawsuits against the Trump administration, whose actions affected the funding and education of foreign students at the university. Harvard College student Talgat Kabdygali shared the mood of Kazakh students studying at one of the most prestigious universities in the world in an interview with the Kazinform News Agency's own correspondent.
Talgat Kabdygali entered the university's undergraduate program in 2022 in the Faculty of Political Science ("Government") and is currently a 4th-year student at Harvard.
There are about 7-8 Kazakh students studying in 13 Harvard schools, of which 3 are undergraduates, 3-4 are graduates, and 1 is a doctoral student.
However, the decision of May 22 of this year Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem's announcement that Harvard is losing its SEVP certification has created some uncertainty and confusion among international students.
"There is currently a lot of uncertainty among Harvard students. Obviously, Harvard's de-licensing will impact applicants who will not be able to enroll under the Trump administration's new measures. However, the situation with international students who are already enrolled at the university is unclear at this time," Kabdygali said.
Various U.S. media outlets report that international students are usually allowed to transfer to another institution to continue their education if their current university loses its SEVP certification. However, in practice, the situation is quite complicated.
"Under Harvard's current rules, a student can transfer to another university only after completing the first or second year of study. However, such a transfer cannot be made now, since applications for transfer will be accepted in October or November," he explained.
When asked about the mood of our students to transfer to other educational institutions, Talgat said that “there is no such mood, because Harvard is a very prestigious university, and no one wants to change the high status of their university for another. I myself do not want to change the university either, and I cannot under the existing rules.”
In general, the students of the university support the position of the Harvard administration and their right to manage their own educational institution in accordance with the First Amendment of the US Constitution.
“This situation affects all international students and everyone is panicking, no one understands the next steps. The actions of the university administration deserve respect, they are trying to calm the students, inform them about the current situation and encourage their students,” Kabdygali emphasized.
In conclusion of the interview, Talgat wished Harvard students not to panic and hoped for a positive resolution of the difficult situation between the university administration and the Trump administration.
“I noticed concern among the students. At such moments, it is best to be rational and calm. Let's hope that the current situation will be resolved soon and we will be able to successfully complete our studies, and new students will have the opportunity to enroll in one of the prestigious Ivy League universities," he said.
Earlier, it was reported that Harvard had filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration in connection with the ban on the education of foreign students.
