BOSTON (AP) — The Trump administration has rescinded a rule that would have required international students to transfer schools or leave the country if their colleges hold classes entirely online this fall because of the coronavirus pandemic.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced the decision as a court hearing was getting underway on a challenge to the rule by Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

The suit brought by Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology argued that the policy was created unlawfully and that it contradicts previous guidance from federal immigration officials. 

The announcement brings relief to thousands of foreign students who had been at risk of being deported from the country, along with hundreds of universities that were scrambling to reassess their plans for the fall in light of the policy.

Under the policy, international students in the U.S. would be forbidden from taking all of their courses online this fall. New visas would not be issued to students at schools planning to provide all classes online, which includes Harvard. Students already in the U.S. would face deportation if they didn’t transfer schools or leave the country voluntarily.

The rule created a dilemma for thousands of foreign students who stayed in the U.S. after their colleges shifted to remote learning last spring in response to the pandemic.

The policy drew sharp backlash from higher education institutions, with more than 200 signing court briefs supporting the challenge by Harvard and MIT. Colleges say the policy puts students’ safety at risk and hurts schools financially. At least seven other suits were filed by schools and states opposing the policy.