President Trump signed a presidential memorandum Thursday requiring colleges and universities to submit expanded admissions data to the U.S. Department of Education. The move is the latest salvo in the administration's fight against diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies and is intended to reveal if schools are still preferencing race in admissions even after the Supreme Court banned affirmative action in 2023.
Thursday's memo claims "the lack of available admissions data from universities – paired with the rampant use of "diversity statements" and other overt and hidden racial proxies – continues to raise concerns about whether race is actually used in admissions decisions in practice."
Any college or university that participates in the federal student loan program is already