MOSCOW: (Bernama-Sputnik/RIA Novosti) The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) announced on Friday (May 23) an invitation to international students who could lose their legal status at Harvard University due to a ban imposed by the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Sputnik/RIA Novosti reported.
The ban was announced on Thursday. However, earlier on Friday, a US district court in Massachusetts granted Harvard University's motion to suspend the DHS ban on the enrollment of foreign students at the school.
"The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) today announced an open invitation to international undergraduate and postgraduate students currently enrolled at Harvard University, as well as those holding confirmed offers for Harvard degree programs, to continue their academic pursuits at HKUST," the educational institution said in a statement.
The university will offer unconditional acceptance, simplified application processes, and academic assistance to ensure a smooth transition for interested students, the statement said.
On Thursday, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem announced that the DHS was effectively prohibiting Harvard from accepting foreign students for the 2025-2026 academic year and requiring all current foreign students at the university to transfer to other institutions.
She cited Harvard's refusal to comply with the department's requests for information as well as creating an "unsafe campus environment that is hostile to Jewish students, promotes pro-Hamas sympathies, and employs racist 'diversity, equity, and inclusion' policies." - Bernama-Sputnik/RIA Novosti
