Asmir Ashrar Safi has been eagerly awaiting his degree after completing four years of undergraduate studies at Harvard University. Despite the graduation ceremony occurring over two weeks ago, he has yet to receive his diploma.


Safi, who is of Pakistani origin, is not alone in this predicament; 12 other students from the university are facing the same issue. It is confirmed that they will not receive their degrees for at least a year. The Harvard Corporation, the top governing body of the esteemed institution, decided not to award degrees to these students during the May 23 graduation ceremony. This decision was made in response to their participation in a pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel demonstration on campus.

Safi, 23, who majored in social studies, ethnicity, immigration, and rights at Harvard College, has already appealed the university's decision.

I am a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford, trying to confirm whether I can continue my studies here, as I have been on hold for a year at Harvard. Despite fulfilling all the institutional requirements of my program, I still haven't received my degree.

Like Safi, Shraddha Joshi is also not receiving her Harvard degree, even though her professors support her. She studied the same subject as Safi at Harvard College.

Joshi told Al Jazeera, "I have completed the appeal application on my behalf. I am debating whether to wait for communication from the university authorities or not. Students and teachers are completely skeptical of procedural ambiguity. The matter of the time limit for the appeal is not clear."

Born and raised in Texas, USA, Joshi was planning to pursue her master's in sociology in the UK. However, she now faces uncertainty about her future.

"I had planned to study at Cambridge University under the Harvard-UK Fellowship, but my plans were ruined due to not getting a degree. The lack of communication and transparency from the administration has made it difficult to determine our next steps," Joshi said.

Last April, students at Columbia University in New York began protesting against Israel's ongoing war in the Gaza Strip, demanding that universities boycott companies associated with Israel. These protests spread to more than 30 other universities, including Harvard. The protests at Harvard began on April 24, led by Harvard Out of Occupied Palestine (HOOP).

After talks between the university administration and HOOP on May 14, an agreement was reached to end the protest. Harvard authorities agreed to reinstate more than 20 students placed on 'involuntary leave' as part of the settlement. The protesting students proposed negotiating with members of the university's governing board to stop doing business with Israeli companies.

Although Joshi did not directly participate in the tent protests, she mediated with the college administration on behalf of the protesting students. She was one of the students sent on involuntary leave and asked to leave the Harvard campus.