Since leaving his native Sweden, Leo Gerdén has eagerly anticipated the moment he would walk across the stage as one of more than 1,700 undergraduate students graduating from Harvard University. But now that the day has arrived, his excitement is tempered by a sense of unease.
“I think it will be quite hard, to be honest,” Gerdén told CNN, reflecting on the emotional complexity surrounding this year’s commencement.
Unlike many others, Gerdén is fortunate—he always planned for this to be his final semester at Harvard. But for numerous international students, the future feels far less certain. Many now fear their academic journeys in Cambridge, Massachusetts, could be abruptly cut short.
International students, who represent roughly 27% of Harvard’s enrollment, have found themselves at the center of an escalating political battle. The university’s ongoing conflict with the Trump administration has placed foreign scholars in a precarious position, as federal officials push higher education institutions to adopt policies that align with the administration’s ideological stance—or risk significant funding reductions.
Thursday’s commencement ceremony concludes several days of festivities, offering a moment for Harvard to celebrate nearly 400 years of academic legacy. Yet, under the surface, tensions remain. Seeking to avoid further controversy, the university has opted for a relatively low-profile approach. This year’s keynote speaker is deliberately non-contentious, and previously high-profile affinity group events—once a target of criticism from President Donald Trump—have been quietly removed. A brief and restrained notice on Harvard’s website is all that now marks their absence.
In past years, commencement has often served as a platform for speakers and students to express themselves in spontaneous, unscripted ways. This year, however, the atmosphere is markedly different, as Harvard walks a delicate line between resisting and accommodating the demands of the White House.
Inside the sleek glass façade of the John Joseph Moakley U.S. Courthouse, overlooking Boston Harbor, attorneys for Harvard University—America’s oldest institution of higher learning—are preparing to face off against lawyers from the Trump administration.
The controversial ban, currently on temporary hold by Judge Allison Burroughs, has already sent shockwaves through the university community, shaking the confidence of some of the brightest minds from around the world who chose Harvard for its global academic reputation.
For many students, the joy of reaching commencement has been clouded by a growing sense of instability. The celebratory moment they worked years to achieve has been overshadowed by legal uncertainty and political tension.
“The day I opened that acceptance letter was probably the best day of my life,” said Leo Gerdén, reflecting on his admission to Harvard.
Commencement has traditionally been a space where the unexpected can happen—a moment for students and speakers to voice their thoughts freely. This year, however, it comes as the university balances on a tightrope, trying to navigate mounting pressure from the White House while preserving its core values.
At the same time, Harvard has avoided direct confrontation in areas where legal risk is higher. While it has pushed back against some federal mandates, the university has conceded that efforts to broaden “viewpoint diversity” on campus may have merit, even as it opposes federal oversight of such initiatives.
In response to President Trump’s executive order aimed at dismantling diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs nationwide, Harvard opted for a strategic pivot. The office’s director emphasized its continued mission to “cultivate a culture of belonging … for all.”
Still, not all responses have been conciliatory. Earlier this week, more than 300 students rallied on campus to protest the federal actions against Harvard, according to CNN affiliate WHDH. While the demonstration remained peaceful, it underscored the broader unrest and dissatisfaction among the student body.
Commencement, despite its structured and ceremonial nature, presents another opportunity for voices to rise and emotions to surface—often beyond the university’s control.
Harvard has not responded to CNN’s inquiries about whether students or speakers will be asked to avoid political commentary during this year’s commencement.
The only publicly acknowledged change to commencement week listed on Harvard’s website is the cancellation of all university-sponsored graduation celebrations for affinity groups. This follows a directive from the Trump administration, which has prohibited universities from using institutional funds to support what it describes as “racially segregated” graduation events.
“Harvard will no longer provide funding, staffing, or spaces for end-of-year affinity celebrations,” the university’s website states. Despite the policy shift, some student groups have continued their events independently with private funding.
As the main ceremony approaches on Thursday, international students—many accompanied by parents who made significant sacrifices for their education—will walk through the iconic wrought-iron gates of Harvard Yard. But the mood is overshadowed by uncertainty about the university’s future and the broader implications of the ongoing federal scrutiny.
“Parents who have dedicated their lives to helping their children get to Harvard, only to be told that it may all be jeopardized due to what looks like a political vendetta against the university.”
“I’m sorry,” he added. “I just can’t quite believe that this is happening in the United States.”
Controversy is not new to Harvard commencements, but this year’s event carries especially high stakes. A lingering question remains: Will any student or speaker break the silence with a political statement—at a moment when Harvard is under intense pressure to avoid giving the Trump administration further grounds for punitive action?
Even selecting a keynote speaker for Harvard’s commencement can ignite political controversy. Last year, the university invited Maria Ressa—an investigative journalist from the Philippines and co-founder of the news site Rappler—to deliver the address. Ressa, who received the Nobel Peace Prize for her efforts to protect freedom of expression, quickly became a lightning rod for criticism.
Her outspoken views on the Israel-Hamas conflict drew backlash online, particularly from those who saw her stance as overly critical of Israel. The controversy fed into broader claims from former President Donald Trump and his allies that elite universities have become hotbeds of antisemitism. Ressa’s response during her speech only added fuel to the fire.
According to the final report from Harvard’s Task Force on Combating Antisemitism and Anti-Israeli Bias, Ressa had originally included a section in her remarks encouraging pro-Palestinian protesters to show greater empathy for their Jewish classmates. That portion was later removed, the report stated. Ressa, however, told CNN that the version she submitted to Harvard was only a draft and not her finalized speech.
The commencement ceremony was further disrupted when hundreds of graduating students staged a walkout, according to Harvard Magazine. The protest was in response to the university’s decision to withhold degrees from several students involved in organizing a pro-Palestinian encampment on campus that spring. Some demonstrators chanted slogans as degrees were conferred.
Maria Ressa, who served as a journalist at CNN from 1987 to 2005, expressed disappointment this week over how Harvard’s antisemitism task force handled criticism of her commencement speech. Speaking to CNN on Wednesday, Ressa said the group never contacted her to hear her perspective before finalizing its report.
Ressa, whose independent journalism has drawn heavy scrutiny from the Philippine government, acknowledged the increasingly challenging environment universities now face.
This year’s keynote speaker, however, is expected to be far less polarizing. Dr. Abraham Verghese—a physician, author, and longtime friend of Harvard President Alan Garber—is not widely known for political commentary or activism. His selection signals Harvard’s desire for a quieter ceremony amid ongoing political tensions.
Representatives for Verghese did not respond to CNN’s inquiries about the content of his speech or whether Harvard requested to review it in advance.
Commencement ceremonies still carry the potential for protest
Despite the administration’s efforts to avoid controversy, recent commencement ceremonies across the country show how difficult that can be. Just last week at Columbia University, President Claire Shipman was met with boos during two graduation events, as students protested the ongoing detention of Mahmoud Khalil, a graduate student and lawful U.S. permanent resident.
Khalil, who played a prominent role in last year’s campus demonstrations in support of Palestine, is currently being held by immigration authorities. Federal officials have cited his involvement in what they described as “antisemitic protests and disruptive activities” as justification for his possible deportation.
Outside the university’s locked gates, dozens of demonstrators gathered, chanting in protest, according to The Columbia Daily Spectator.
As the university taking the strongest stand against the Trump administration, Harvard is cautious not to give any more ammunition to accusations that it protects rule-breakers or encourages extremism.
After crossing the stage at commencement, Leo Gerdén plans to begin a scholarship-funded master’s program this fall at a university in Beijing, China.
“It would have seemed crazy a few years ago to say that right now I feel safer going to China than staying in the U.S.,” he reflected.