Trump Issues Order Expanding Data Collection on Race-Based Admissions in U.S. Universities

The United States President, Donald Trump, issued an executive order on Thursday aimed at enhancing transparency in race-based college admissions processes. According to a senior White House official, the directive instructs Education Secretary Linda McMahon to revise the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), a longstanding US higher education database.

The presidential memorandum mandates McMahon to broaden the scope of data reporting for college admissions, aiming to provide increased transparency and accuracy checks. Consequently, educational institutions will be required to report data disaggregated by race and sex for undergraduate levels and specific graduate and professional programs.

Secretary McMahon stated that this move would ensure meritocracy and excellence in American higher education, preventing institutions from privileging skin color over hard work and accomplishments. The Supreme Court’s June 2023 decision barred colleges and universities from considering race as a specific admission criterion, but concerns persist about the practical use of race in admissions decisions due to insufficient data.

The expanded data collection is expected to verify if race factors into admission decisions in practice. The White House has been advocating for policy changes in higher education, including challenges to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives. Recently, the administration has announced multi-million-dollar deals with Brown University and Columbia University and engaged in two ongoing lawsuits with Harvard University.

As part of a deal with Columbia University, the institution agreed to provide federal authorities with admissions data disclosing both rejected and admitted students’ race, grade point average, and standardized test scores. This executive action appears to extend such requirements to all institutions receiving federal funding.