(CNN) When Harvard University's dorms opened their doors to first-year students on Tuesday, one was missing. Ismail Ajjawi, an incoming first-year student, was denied entry to the United States last week, according to the university.

"The University is working closely with the student's family and appropriate authorities to resolve this matter so that he can join his classmates in the coming days," Harvard spokesperson Jason Newton wrote in an email to CNN.

US Customs and Border Protection confirmed to CNN that Ajjawi was turned away at the border -- but declined to provide any details.

"This individual was deemed inadmissible to the United States based on information discovered during the CBP inspection," the agency said in a statement.

The university's newspaper, The Harvard Crimson, describes Ajjawi as a "17-year-old Palestinian resident of Tyre, Lebanon."

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