Harvard students have been criticised by university officials after invitations to a new exclusive society with the caveat "Seriously, no f***ing Jews. Coloureds OK" were given out.

The flyers were distributed on behalf of a group called "The Pigeon", which described itself as Harvard's newest final club.

Final clubs are prestigious societies that remain a time-honoured part of life at Harvard, with at least 13 in existence. Known for their exclusivity, in the film The Social Network Mark Zuckerberg's struggle to gain membership was depicted as one of the reasons he built Facebook in the first place.

According to the student paper, the Harvard Crimson, the flyers were not advertising a real group, but were a practical joke. But the dean of Harvard College stated that what they said was still "deeply disturbing".

Evelynn Hammonds said: "Even if intended as satirical in nature, they are hurtful and offensive to many students, faculty and staff, and do not demonstrate the level of thoughtfulness and respect we expect."