Trump Orders Universities to Submit Race-Based Admissions Data

In 2025, President Donald Trump signed a memorandum that instructed universities in all the United States to provide detailed race-based admissions. The step follows a 2023 Supreme Court ruling prohibiting race from being used during college admissions, which has caused debate across the country on transparency in academia, fairness, and higher learning policies going forward.

Background: Supreme Court’s 2023 Ruling and Its Impact

The basis of Trump's order is the 2023 Supreme Court case against affirmative action in college applications, a game-changer in how colleges assess candidates. According to the ruling, race should not be a determining factor in who is admitted into colleges. Nonetheless, it left colleges with an option to examine personal statements in which the students talk about the ways in which the issue of race affected their lives.

The Trump administration argues that certain universities have avoided the decision by including application essays and diversity statements that can show the background of a student. Conservatives also maintain that it is one of the ways schools continue to favour some groups- even disobeying the law.

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What the Trump Memorandum Requires

With the new memorandum:

1. The colleges are required to provide admissions data disaggregated by race and sex, not only of persons enrolled but also of the number of applicants and the number of students accepted.

2. The Department of Education, under Secretary Linda McMahon, has directed the National Centre of Education Statistics to gather this information in all institutions which receive federal student aid funds.

3. The following are required:

• Race and gender of applicants, admitted, and enrolled students

• Academic achievements like standardised test scores and grade point averages (GPA)

• Other demographic characteristics as requested

University Data Collection Requirements

Here is the representation for the data collection requirements:

Table 1: Minimum Admissions Data Reporting Requirements

Table 2: Legal & Practical Questions Raised

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University and Public Reactions

Universities and the public have responded strongly to Trump’s order, with college leaders voicing legal concerns and many questioning how the new requirements will affect privacy, compliance, and the future of campus admissions policies.

1. Higher Education Leaders

The order has been sharply criticised by the American Council on Education, which represents 1,600 institutions. One of its senior vice presidents, Jonathan Fansmith, has indicated that this act of collecting race data might even be against the very decision of the Supreme Court: Schools are not supposed to collect racial data on their applicants, and one cannot use the notion of race in making the process of admissions. This seems to be an attempt at making institutions give information that we do not already have and cannot collect.”

2. Political and Legal Argument

The proponents, mostly with conservative policy flavour, argue that it needs to move to enhance transparency and to make sure that colleges do not dance around the law. Critics say the wording of the memo by Trump is ambiguous and may even be illegal, creating a long-term court battle over what information colleges can gather- and how they can be used.

Broader Implications for College Admissions

Some schools even gave up collecting race information of applicants altogether after the Supreme Court ruling. With existing policies, schools only gather the racial information of the students once the student registers, and even then, many schoolchildren may choose not to provide that information in the first place- creating an incomplete demographic picture.

The Trump memo broadens the requirement now by requiring colleges to share the data on race in all cycles of the admissions process. It also empowers it to approve possible audits and fines on delayed, incomplete or inaccurate reports.

It is also a Trend: Earlier in 2025, another recommendation expressing discouragement of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs was signed by the Trump administration; the newest order adds to the pressure on institutions that would not conform to the policy change.

What Happens Next?

Colleges, policymakers, and students are now anticipating the consequences of Trump’s latest directive, as education officials outline new procedures and institutions prepare for potential compliance hurdles, legal battles, and evolving admissions practices.

• By winter 2025, the Department of Education plans to complete the process of data reporting procedures.

• The concern raised by the colleges on the challenges of compliance is technical, legal and resource-related.

• Legal cases might arise against federal requirements in case the institutions believe that the memorandum contradicts the Supreme Court's restrictions.

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Conclusion

Trump demands race-based admissions data to be handed over by universities, occasioning a new round of argument over compliance, privacy and fair admissions to colleges. This presidential order will define the future of higher education and shape national debates on equity, opportunity and transparency, as schools and students attempt to negotiate the new requirements. For the latest official details on university admissions data reporting requirements, refer to the U.S. Department of Education’s official website. Contact TerraTern for more information on the university admission and latest news regarding U.S.A policy changes.