US Department of Education to collect detailed applicant-level data from higher education institutions
Colleges and universities across the United States will soon be required to submit significantly expanded admissions data to the US Department of Education, following a presidential memorandum signed Thursday. The directive is aimed at increasing transparency in college admissions practices in the wake of the 2023 Supreme Court ruling that ended race-conscious admissions.
Under the new requirements, institutions that participate in federal student aid programs must provide detailed information not only on enrolled students but also on all applicants. The expanded data will include applicants’ race, sex, standardized test scores, grade point averages, and other academic indicators.
The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), the Department of Education’s statistical agency, has been tasked with collecting and analyzing the additional data.
New Data Collection Measures Aim to Increase Transparency
The US Department of Education stated that the expanded data collection is intended to help assess whether colleges are complying with the Supreme Court’s ruling. That decision prohibited the use of race as a determining factor in college admissions but allowed students to discuss personal experiences related to race in their application materials.
According to Education Secretary Linda McMahon, the new initiative will ensure that “institutions of higher education report admissions data disaggregated by race and sex,” as well as “quantitative measures of applicants’ and admitted students’ academic achievements.”
“We will not allow institutions to undermine merit-based admissions systems,” McMahon said in a department release. “Academic performance and achievement should guide opportunity in higher education.”
The department clarified that the data reporting will not affect financial aid eligibility or current student aid programs.
Concerns Over Implementation Capacity
While some higher education leaders acknowledge the importance of admissions transparency, concerns have emerged over the feasibility and logistics of implementing the new requirements.
Ted Mitchell, president of the American Council on Education (ACE), said that admissions offices consider many factors beyond test scores and GPAs when evaluating applicants. These may include recommendation letters, extracurricular achievements, and unique personal experiences. He noted that a purely data-driven approach may not reflect the full scope of a student’s qualifications.
“This is why we care if someone has been in the orchestra or started a community initiative,” Mitchell said. “It gives context to the numbers.”
Additionally, former Department of Education officials have raised concerns about staffing capacity. Jason Cottrell, who previously served as data coordinator in the Office of Postsecondary Education, said that recent workforce reductions could hinder the department’s ability to effectively manage and analyze the incoming data.
“It’s going to be time-intensive,” Cottrell noted. “And they don’t have the resources they used to.”
Effect on Institutional Practices and Future Enrollment Trends
Following the Supreme Court’s 2023 decision, some universities have already experienced shifts in student demographics. For example, institutions such as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Amherst College reported a decline in the proportion of Black students in the 2024 freshman class. Others, such as Yale University and Princeton University, saw little change.
Separate agreements between the Education Department and institutions like Columbia University and Brown University now require reporting of applicants’ race, test scores, and academic metrics. These agreements also prohibit the use of “diversity narratives” or personal statements as proxies for racial consideration in admissions.
The expanded reporting directive will apply to all institutions participating in federal student aid programs, though it remains unclear how it will affect schools with open admissions policies, such as many community colleges.
Research conducted by Georgetown University in 2023 indicated that the removal of race from admissions considerations could significantly reduce racial diversity at selective institutions unless systemic changes—such as eliminating preferences for legacy applicants or recruited athletes—were implemented.
Looking Ahead
The US Department of Education is expected to release implementation guidelines later this year. Institutions will be required to submit expanded datasets annually, beginning with the 2025–2026 application cycle. The NCES will develop new tools and protocols to manage the data collection and analysis process.
For now, institutions are being encouraged to review their admissions procedures and prepare for the upcoming changes to ensure compliance with the new federal requirements. The goal, according to department officials, is to build a more data-informed and transparent admissions landscape across American higher education.
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