Trump signs memo requiring universities to disclose admissions data on race

U.S. President Donald Trump connected Thursday signed a memorandum that requires universities to cod admissions information to beryllium they are not engaged successful efforts to signifier their pupil bodies on radical lines, according to the White House.

But the largest higher acquisition argumentation and lobbying enactment successful the U.S. said the wording of the memo was vague. The American Council connected Education besides said it whitethorn beryllium amerciable for schools to cod the information connected contention that the White House seeks.

The determination is the latest effort successful the Trump administration's effort to dismantle affirmative enactment policies astatine universities. It has launched dozens of investigations and threatened to chopped disconnected backing to schools that beforehand diversity, equity and inclusion programs.

According to the memorandum, a 2023 U.S. Supreme Court ruling knocked down the usage of affirmative enactment successful assemblage admissions, but universities person skirted that determination by relying connected "diversity statements" students supply successful applying that bespeak their race. The White House present wants schools to amusement they are complying.

The U.S. Department of Education said successful a connection that Education Secretary Linda McMahon had directed the National Center for Education Statistics to cod from universities information connected the contention and sex of their applicant pool, connected the students admitted and of each enrolled undergraduates. Jonathan Fansmith, elder vice president astatine the American Council connected Education, which represents 1,600 subordinate schools, said collecting specified information was amerciable nether the precise Supreme Court ruling that ended affirmative action.

"You can't see contention successful admissions, truthful schools don't cod information connected contention from applicants," Fansmith said. "This seems to beryllium an effort to get institutions to supply accusation that we don't person and that we can't collect."

But a elder Trump medication authoritative said the administration's knowing of the 2023 Supreme Court ruling connected affirmative enactment was that thing successful it "prohibits the postulation of demographic information arsenic agelong arsenic specified information is not utilized successful admissions decisions." The official, who was not authorized to sermon the matter, spoke connected the information of anonymity.

The authoritative went connected to accidental that the medication expected universities to artifact entree of their admissions officials from immoderate information connected the contention of immoderate applicant.