Overview

• The presidential memorandum signed on August 7 compels all federally funded colleges to submit admissions data disaggregated by race, grade point average and standardized test scores for applicant, admittee and enrolled cohorts.
• Secretary McMahon is tasked with overhauling the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System to expand reporting requirements and institute rigorous audits of submitted data.
• Institutions that provide late, incomplete or inaccurate admissions data face potential penalties under Title IV of the Higher Education Act, putting federal financial aid at risk.
• The directive codifies recent settlement terms with Columbia and Brown universities by extending their race-based data-sharing obligations to every institution receiving federal funds.
• The administration cited a “persistent lack of available data” and the use of diversity statements and other “hidden racial proxies” as reasons to demand broader transparency in admissions practices.