• Harvard University is battling the Trump administration in court to enroll international students.
• The State Department has also halted new student visa appointments, thus adding to the uncertainty.
• Universities overseas have moved to encourage Harvard applicants to study with them instead.

Universities around the world are giving "unconditional offers" — and touting how close tropical getaways are — in a bid to draw Harvard-bound international students grappling with President Donald Trump's crackdown on the Ivy League institution.

The Trump administration said on May 22 that it was banning Harvard from taking in international students. Secretary of State Marco Rubio later ordered all US embassies around the world to halt new student visa appointments while the State Department expands the screening and vetting of applicants' social media. The university's international students are continuing with their studies while the case continues to play out, thanks to a court order.

But amid the uncertainty, other universities overseas have moved quickly to welcome US-bound international students to their classrooms.

Last month, Germany's culture minister, Wolfram Weimer, told Bloomberg that Harvard can set up an "exile campus" in Germany, where students at American universities would be "more than welcome."

Harvard did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.

The National University of Singapore is extending application deadlines for its MBA program

The National University of Singapore (NUS) Business School said on May 29 that it was offering a "limited extension" to the application deadlines for its MBA and master's programs.

"Official American government policies continue to generate uncertainty and discomfort about student visas. At NUS Business School, we understand and sympathize with these worries," it said in a statement issued Thursday.

"If you have received a verifiable offer from a top-20 MSc or MBA programme but are now reconsidering your plans, we welcome you to instead join us at the National University of Singapore," it added.

Besides selling itself as "Asia's leading business school," NUS also touted how close Singapore is to vacation destinations, adding that the city "happens to be a short plane trip from Bali and Phuket."

The business school said the application deadlines for programs starting in August 2025 and January 2026 had been extended to June 22 and June 30, respectively. The original deadline for NUS's full-time MBA program, which starts in August, was April 2.

The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology has said it will give 'unconditional offers' to Harvard-bound students

The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, or HKUST, said on May 23 that it was extending an "open invitation" to Harvard's international undergraduate and postgraduate students to continue their studies there.

HKUST said the offer also applied to "those holding confirmed offers for Harvard degree programs."

"The university will provide unconditional offers, streamlined admission procedures, and academic support to facilitate a seamless transition for interested students," HKUST added.

When approached for comment, HKUST told BI on Tuesday that it was "opening its academic resources to affected international students (including Harvard University students) in response to recent US policy changes."

"Our invitation extends beyond Harvard-affiliated students, but to all outstanding students, both local and international — facing similar academic disruptions," HKUST added in its statement to BI.

The university said it maintains "robust transfer policies" and will be expediting admission reviews and streamlining credit transfers for qualified candidates.

HKUST said it has received "tens of inquiries " and a "wide range of questions" from affected students since their announcement.

The University of Tokyo said it would accept Harvard students on a temporary basis

The University of Tokyo said on May 26 that it was considering accepting international students from Harvard on a temporary basis.

The university's executive vice president for diversity and global affairs, Kaori Hayashi, told BI the university had previously accepted about 20 students from Ukraine who fled the country after Russia's invasion in 2022.

"Given the current unstable international situation, we wish to draw on our experience from the Ukraine crisis to assist talented students whose studies have been disrupted by external factors, whether or not their home institution is Harvard University," Hayashi added.

But students accepted under this program "will not be enrolled as regular degree-seeking students," said Hayashi. Instead, they will be given "temporary learning opportunities" and allowed to "take certain classes" at the university," she said.

"We also plan to issue academic transcripts so that credits for courses taken at UTokyo can be recognized when they return to their studies or pursue further education in the future," Hayashi added.

She added that the start date and duration of the program were still being worked out, but would be ready in the coming academic year.

• Warren Buffett said on Saturday he will step down as the CEO of Berkshire Hathaway by year's end.
• The board has voted to make Greg Abel, now a vice chair at the company, its CEO and president.
• Abel is expected to maintain Buffett's existing investment approach.

Hours after Warren Buffett stunned the crowd at Berkshire Hathaway's annual shareholder meeting by announcing that he'd step down at the end of the year, its board voted unanimously for Greg Abel to replace him.

Buffett — who is 94 and has been the CEO of Berkshire Hathaway for 55 years — will remain as chairman of the board of directors, according to a press release. Greg Abel will become the new CEO and president as of January 1, 2026.

"I think the time has arrived where Greg should become the chief executive of the company at year end," Buffett told the audience on Saturday, referring to Abel, one of his top hands.

Abel, 62, has been Berkshire Hathaway's vice chair of non-insurance operations since 2018. He's also chair of Berkshire Hathaway Energy, which Buffett hailed as one of the conglomerate's four "jewels" in his annual shareholder letter in 2021, the same year Buffett first tapped Abel as his successor.

While Buffett's approval was a major plus, the company's board of directors was tasked with confirming his successor, and did so on Sunday.

Investors and shareholders expect that Abel will maintain Berkshire Hathaway's investment philosophy. He told shareholders at this weekend's meeting that he would start by maintaining the company's "fortress of a balance sheet," which allows it to make large investments without relying on banks, Barron's reported.

Abel is known, however, for having a more hands-on management style than Buffett.

He was estimated by Forbes to be worth $484 million in 2021. In 2022, he sold his 1% stake in the company's Berkshire Hathaway Energy unit for $870 million.

Abel has risen through the ranks with a persistent focus on energy.

The Canadian native played hockey in his early years and attended the University of Alberta. He graduated in 1984 with a degree in commerce.

He joined PwC after graduation and quickly moved on to a small company called CalEnergy. In 1999, CalEnergy acquired MidAmerican Energy and adopted its name. That same year, Berkshire Hathaway bought a controlling interest in MidAmerican Energy. Abel took over the reins of MidAmerican in 2008 — renamed Berkshire Hathaway Energy in 2014 — and helmed it until 2018.

He's also served on the board of several major companies, including Kraft Heinz, and has been affiliated with organizations and institutions like the Mid-Iowa Council Boy Scouts of America, Drake University, American Football Coaches Foundation, and the Horatio Alger Association.

He lives in Des Moines, Iowa. Those who've spotted him at a hockey rink in town, watching his son practice, say he comes across as a "regular guy," the Des Moines Register reported.

Buffett also has a reputation as a folksy and down-to-earth person, living in Omaha, Nebraska.

At Berkshire Hathaway, succession doesn't seem to be just about handing over a job. With the title, Buffett said he's passing down traditions — like writing letters — and a mindset, too.

In Berkshire Hathaway's 2024 annual report, Buffett wrote, "At 94, it won't be long before Greg Abel replaces me as CEO and will be writing the annual letters. Greg shares the Berkshire creed that a 'report' is what a Berkshire CEO annually owes to owners.

"And he also understands that if you start fooling your shareholders, you will soon believe your own baloney and be fooling yourself as well."