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A federal judge in Boston halted an effort by the Trump administration that sought to require many colleges and universities to provide admissions-related data intended to show they were not considering race. The preliminary injunction, issued by U.S. District Court Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV, applies to public universities covered by a lawsuit brought by a coalition of 17 Democratic state attorneys general.
Saylor said the federal government likely had the authority to collect the requested data, but he found the way the demand was introduced to universities left little time to respond. In his ruling, he wrote that the 120-day deadline imposed by President Donald Trump led directly to a failure by the National Center for Education Statistics to engage meaningfully with institutions during the notice-and-comment process to address “the multitude of problems presented by the new requirements.”
The case follows a decision by Trump in August to order the data collection after he raised concerns that colleges and universities were using personal statements and other “proxies” to consider race, which he views as illegal discrimination. The administration’s request came as the Supreme Court in 2023 ruled against the use of affirmative action in admissions but said colleges could still consider how race has shaped students’ lives if applicants share that information in their admissions essays.
The states challenging the rule argued that the government’s approach risked invading student privacy and could lead to baseless investigations of universities. They also said universities were not given enough time to collect the data.
In court, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, Michelle Pascucci, told the judge that the effort was being carried out in a way that would create problems for institutions. She said, “The data has been sought in such a hasty and irresponsible way that it will create problems for universities,” adding that the effort seemed aimed at uncovering unlawful practices.
The U.S. Department of Education defended the data collection, arguing that taxpayers are owed transparency about how money is spent at institutions that receive federal funding. The government also said the data request was consistent with earlier settlement agreements reached with Brown University and Columbia University, which required schools to share data on race, grade-point average and standardized test scores of applicants, admitted students and enrolled students, along with audits and public release of admissions statistics.
The National Center for Education Statistics was to collect the new admissions data, including the race and sex of applicants, admitted students and enrolled students. Education Secretary Linda McMahon said the data, originally due by March 18, had to be disaggregated by race and sex and retroactively reported for the prior seven years.
Saylor’s order comes as the administration has pursued other litigation over admissions data. The Trump administration separately sued Harvard University over similar records demanded by the Justice Department, saying Harvard had refused to provide admissions information to ensure the school stopped using affirmative action; Harvard has said it has been responding to the requests and is in compliance with the Supreme Court ruling. On Monday, the Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights directed Harvard to comply with the data requests within 20 days for referral to the U.S. Justice Department.
The administration also said it could act under Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 if colleges failed to submit timely, complete and accurate data, which outlines requirements for colleges receiving federal financial aid for students.