States Challenge New College Admissions Data Mandate

States Challenge New College Data Mandate on Admissions

A coalition of states is taking legal action against the Trump administration. They are worried about a new federal requirement that demands colleges report specific admissions data. This includes details about race, gender, test scores, and financial aid. The lawsuit claims this mandate could invade student privacy and put extra pressure on universities.

Background on the Lawsuit against the College Data Requirement

This lawsuit comes after a significant Supreme Court ruling in 2023. The ruling banned race-based admissions practices. As a result, college demographics have begun to change. For instance, Black student enrollment has decreased at many prestigious universities. Meanwhile, enrollment of Asian American students has seen an increase at some schools.

The federal government has been collecting data about colleges in the U.S. for about 40 years through a system called the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS). This system tracks important information like enrollment numbers and graduation rates.

Details of the New Admissions and Consumer Transparency Supplement (ACTS)

In August 2023, President Trump issued a memorandum. This directed the Department of Education to utilize IPEDS data to ensure colleges are not considering race in admissions. The new reporting requirement, called the Admissions and Consumer Transparency Supplement (ACTS), requires colleges to provide detailed data, including:

• Race
• Gender
• Test scores
• Financial aid levels

Colleges were expected to comply with this new requirement by March 18, 2024. However, the lawsuit maintains that this expectation is unreasonable and burdensome for institutions.

Concerns Raised by the Lawsuit

A coalition of 17 states, led by Massachusetts, has filed this lawsuit in U.S. District Court. They argue that the ACTS survey imposes excessive reporting demands on universities. They claim universities are being asked to collect data that they have not typically gathered and that could jeopardize student safety.

“This change could turn IPEDS from a useful statistical tool into a method for enforcing policy agendas,”

the lawsuit states.

Furthermore, the states argue that the reporting is rushed. They believe it forces colleges to gather and submit data in a short time frame, which usually takes years. This quick turnaround could lead to errors in the reported data.

Responses from Federal Officials

Federal officials defend the new requirements. They argue that the additional reporting is crucial for ensuring transparency. They want to verify that colleges are adhering to the Supreme Court’s ruling about race in admissions.

Since the 2023 ruling, the decline in Black student enrollment has been most noticeable at highly selective private institutions. For example, at Harvard, Black enrollment dropped from 18% in 2023 to less than 12% in the following year. Similarly, Princeton’s Black freshman numbers fell from approximately 9% to around 5%.

Shifts in Enrollment Demographics

Some universities have reported an increase in Asian American enrollment since the Supreme Court ruling. At Harvard, the percentage of Asian American freshmen rose from 37% to about 41%. In some cases, specific schools observed even larger increases in Asian enrollment.

Researchers suggest that as selective colleges reduce their admissions, there may be a ripple effect. This might lead more Black and Hispanic students to enroll at public universities. Data from the fall 2024 admissions cycle indicates that Black and Hispanic enrollment rose by about 8% at public flagship universities overall.