Overview
- Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced the Defense Department will discontinue graduate-level professional military education, fellowships, and certificate programs at Harvard beginning with the 2026–27 academic year.
- Service members already enrolled at Harvard may complete their courses, but no new participants will enter Pentagon-sponsored programs at the university after this academic year.
- Hegseth framed the decision as ideological and security-driven, citing claims of ties to the Chinese Communist Party, campus responses to pro-Palestinian protests, and alleged discrimination against Jewish students.
- The Pentagon said it will evaluate comparable programs for active-duty personnel at other Ivy League and civilian universities in the coming weeks to assess cost-effectiveness and mission fit.
- The move advances a broader clash between the Trump administration and Harvard that includes large federal funding cuts, efforts to restrict enrollment, active litigation with some favorable rulings for Harvard, and a recent $1 billion demand; Harvard did not immediately comment.