Trump signs order requiring universities to hand over admissions data, prove affirmative action is dead

President Donald Trump signed a presidential memorandum Thursday requiring federally funded colleges and universities to submit detailed admissions data to the federal government, part of a sweeping effort to eliminate racial preferences in higher education.

The action, first reported by the Daily Caller and then reposted by White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, comes amid concerns that universities are defying the Supreme Court’s 2023 ruling banning race-based affirmative action. 

Under the executive memorandum, all federally funded institutions must submit their admissions records to the Department of Education. The goal is to determine whether schools are complying with the ruling or continuing to use indirect racial preferences through proxies.

[RELATED: Hegseth orders end to affirmative action admissions at service academies]

A White House fact sheet cited by the Daily Caller says many schools have failed to comply with the ruling, instead adopting tactics like diversity statements and race-influenced essays to bypass the decision.

The memorandum directs Secretary of Education Linda McMahon to expand the type of data schools must submit and tighten oversight of the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System. 

The department is also authorized to take action if submitted data is inaccurate or noncompliant.

[RELATED: UCLA medical school reportedly continues to use racial preferences]

Trump’s order seeks to stop such workarounds by compelling schools to disclose their admissions practices and demonstrate race-neutral compliance.

The new memorandum also signals a broader policy shift that could tie federal education dollars to civil rights compliance, raising the stakes for institutions that ignore the Court’s ruling.

UPDATE: This article has been updated to reflect President Donald Trump’s signing of the executive memorandum.