Trump's fresh decree mandates universities to disclose admissions data based on race
President Donald Trump has signed a new order requiring universities receiving federal funding to submit detailed demographic data on admissions and enrollment, disaggregated by race and sex. The purpose of this order is to increase transparency and ensure accountability in admissions practices, particularly in light of a 2023 Supreme Court ruling that race-based considerations in admissions violate civil rights.
The Presidential Memorandum directs the Education Secretary, Linda McMahon, to expand reporting via the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), improve data accuracy checks, and make this information accessible and understandable to students, parents, and taxpayers. The aim for the expanded data collection is to verify that admissions do not involve unlawful discrimination, based on the Supreme Court ruling.
The order intends to end race-based admissions policies considered discriminatory and illegal, by exposing hidden or indirect racial preferences such as "diversity statements" used as proxies. By mandating transparent data reporting, the administration aims to prevent universities from circumventing the Supreme Court ruling on race in admissions and push institutions toward race-neutral policies.
However, this directive applies broadly to all institutions receiving federal aid, including many that are not highly selective. Some experts view this as a wide net with potential gaps in addressing nuanced admissions practices. Colleges have reportedly already begun to adjust admissions policies by excluding race as a factor and collecting racial data post-enrollment via voluntary surveys, which the new order seeks to supplement with mandatory and more comprehensive data reporting.
The Trump administration has also planned to end grants related to DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) efforts, and lawyers for the administration have made an emergency application to allow the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to scrap millions of grants related to DEI initiatives. The Digital Equity Act (DEA), which aimed to tackle digital equity gaps by supporting state and local efforts to build inclusive digital infrastructure and skills programs, has been cut by the administration.
The White House asks McMahon to "increase accuracy checks for data submitted by institutions" into the system and "take remedial action" if the data is incomplete or inaccurate. The order does not indicate whether the data collected will be made publicly available.
This new order is a significant step towards enforcing transparency and compliance with legal limits on affirmative action in higher education. The impact is likely to be a further reduction or elimination of race-based factors in admissions decisions while increasing public scrutiny of university practices.
[1] White House, (2020). Presidential Memorandum on Promoting Fairness and Equality in Education. [online] Available at: https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/presidential-memorandum-promoting-fairness-equality-education/
[2] Department of Education, (2020). Press Release: President Trump Signs Executive Order to Promote Fairness and Equality in Education. [online] Available at: https://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/president-trump-signs-executive-order-promote-fairness-equality-education
[3] Inside Higher Ed, (2020). Trump Administration to Require Universities to Disclose Demographic Data. [online] Available at: https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2020/09/09/trump-administration-require-universities-disclose-demographic-data
[4] The Hill, (2020). Trump administration seeks to end grants related to diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. [online] Available at: https://thehill.com/policy/education/515506-trump-administration-seeks-to-end-grants-related-to-diversity-equity
[5] Education Dive, (2020). Trump administration to overhaul IPEDS reporting requirements. [online] Available at: https://www.educationdive.com/news/trump-administration-to-overhaul-ipeds-reporting-requirements/611425/
- The Presidential Memorandum, signed by President Donald Trump, is aimed at promoting transparency and accountability in admissions practices through policy-and-legislation, as it requires universities receiving federal funding to submit detailed demographic data.
- As part of the new order, the administration intends to scrutinize policy-and-legislation related to admissions, particularly the use of race-based considerations and diversity statements, which are considered potentially discriminatory and illegal in politics, by increasing data collection and mandatory reporting.
