Harvard se planteó traer a Europa su MBA tras las amenazas de Trump sobre los visados

Harvard has considered expanding its MBA program to Europe and Canada after the Trump administration threatened to restrict international student visas. The prestigious American business school contacted potential partners, including Nova School of Business and Economics in Portugal, IMD in Switzerland, London Business School, and the University of Toronto, according to sources close to the negotiations.

These discussions reveal the pressure on Harvard, which is embroiled in a dispute with the White House over its attempts to exert greater political control over federal funding. The Trump administration has pushed for reforms in the university's governance, cutting federal aid and imposing sanctions over alleged deficiencies in combating antisemitism and restricting free speech.

Harvard confirmed that it explored options for international operations last year, when it considered alternatives to classes in the United States due to visa uncertainty. However, this did not materialize, and as of early this month, Mariano-Florentino Cuellar, a board member of the university, stated that Harvard is seriously considering the possibility of establishing overseas campuses.

Cuellar told a podcast hosted by David Deming, dean of Harvard's Undergraduate Faculty, that Harvard is fundamentally an American institution but also a globally-oriented university. The Trump administration's attempts to prevent the university from sponsoring visas for international students to attend its courses have been rejected by courts so far.

Harvard's discussions about an overseas campus coincided with broader concerns about the job prospects of American graduates, as fewer applicants from elite institutions, including Harvard, find employment within three months of graduation. Other U.S. universities have established campuses and partnerships abroad, such as Booth School of Business in Chicago.

While Harvard has experimented with executive short courses abroad, offering its prestigious two-year MBA program outside the United States would deviate from its long-standing tradition of in-person instruction at its Boston campus. Charging $170,000 for tuition, this Ivy League university relies heavily on international student enrollment.

Recent years have seen a decline in international student admissions to American universities due to travel and labor restrictions, as well as broader political context. Although Harvard secured a legal injunction blocking some of the measures the Trump administration sought to impose, it has faced reduced state funding and increased scrutiny over the nation's higher education sector, which seeks greater political oversight.

In early this month, the U.S. immigration agency tightened control over the authorization of work practices for international students studying abroad, while the Department of Education proposed reforms to university accreditation and direct monitoring of activities.