Trump Directs Colleges to Prove Lack of Racial Consideration in Admissions Process
Colleges will be required to submit data to prove they do not consider race in admissions under a new policy ordered by President Donald Trump. In 2023, the Supreme Court ruled against the use of affirmative action in admissions but said colleges may still consider how race has shaped students’ lives if applicants share that information in their admissions essays.
Trump is accusing colleges of using personal statements and other proxies to consider race, which conservatives view as illegal discrimination.
The role of race in admissions has featured in the Trump administration's battle against some of the nation's most elite colleges. For example, a similar policy was negotiated with Brown University and Columbia University, restoring their federal research money.
Trump says colleges may be skirting SCOTUS ruling
"The persistent lack of available data — 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,” says the memorandum signed by Trump.
The memo directs Education Secretary Linda McMahon to require colleges to report more data “to provide adequate transparency into admissions.” The National Center for Education Statistics will collect new data, including the race and sex of colleges' applicants, admitted students and enrolled students. If colleges fail to submit timely, complete and accurate data, McMahon can take action under Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965.
It is unclear what practical impact the executive order will have on colleges. Current understanding of federal law prohibits them from collecting information on race as part of admissions, said Jon Fansmith, senior vice president of government relations at the American Council on Education.
“Ultimately, will it mean anything? Probably not,” Fansmith said. “But it does continue this rhetoric from the administration that some students are being preferenced in the admission process at the expense of other students.”
Because of the Supreme Court ruling, colleges have been barred from asking the race of students who are applying. Once students enroll, the schools can ask about race, but students must be told they have a right not to answer. In this political climate, many students won’t report their race, Fansmith said. So when schools release data on student demographics, the figures often give only a partial picture of the campus makeup.
The first year of admissions data after the Supreme Court ruling showed no clear pattern in how colleges' diversity changed. Results varied dramatically from one campus to the next.Some schools saw steep drops in the percentage of Black students in their incoming classes, while at other elite and selective schools, the changes were less than a percentage point year to year.“Nothing prohibits universities from considering an applicant’s discussion of how race affected the applicant’s life, so long as that discussion is concretely tied to a quality of character or unique ability that the particular applicant can contribute to the university,” Chief Justice John Roberts wrote in 2023 for the court’s conservative majority.As an alternative to affirmative action, colleges have tried various strategies to achieve diversity. Many have given greater preference to low-income families. Others started admitting top students from every community in their state.Prior to the ruling, nine states had banned affirmative action. The University of California saw enrollment change after the statewide ban in 1996. Within two years, Black and Hispanic enrollments fell by half at the system’s two most selective campuses — Berkeley and UCLA.The 10-campus University of California system also started a program that promises admission to the top 9% of students in each high school across the state, an attempt to reach strong students from all backgrounds. A similar promise in Texas has been credited for expanding racial diversity.In California, the promise drew students from a wider geographic area but did little to expand racial diversity, the system said. It had almost no impact at Berkeley and UCLA, where students compete against tens of thousands of other applicants.After Michigan voters rejected affirmative action in 2006, the University of Michigan shifted attention to low-income students. The school sent graduates to work as counselors in low-income high schools and started offering college prep in Detroit and Grand Rapids.“Nothing prohibits universities from considering an applicant’s discussion of how race affected the applicant’s life, so long as that discussion is concretely tied to a quality of character or unique ability that the particular applicant can contribute to the university,” Chief Justice John Roberts wrote in 2023 for the court’s conservative majority.
President Trump has issued a directive to colleges and universities in the United States, instructing them to demonstrate that they are not considering race or ethnicity in their admissions processes. The move is seen as an effort by the administration to promote diversity and inclusion on campuses."In this way, we're creating more opportunities for students of all backgrounds," said White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders during a press briefing. "We believe that every student deserves to be judged based on the content of their character, not the color of their skin."The directive comes as part of a broader effort by the administration to address concerns over racial bias in education. Critics have argued that the consideration of race and ethnicity in admissions processes is necessary to promote diversity and combat systemic racism."We believe that considering race and ethnicity in the college admissions process is essential to ensuring that our institutions are inclusive and representative of the diverse society we live in," said a spokesperson for the American Council on Education, a higher education advocacy group. "It's critical that we continue to work towards creating more equitable opportunities for students from all backgrounds."The administration's directive has been met with mixed reactions from colleges and universities. Some have expressed concerns over the potential impact of the policy on diversity and inclusion efforts on their campuses."The consideration of race and ethnicity in the college admissions process is a critical tool for ensuring that our institutions are inclusive and representative of the diverse society we live in," said another higher education advocate. "We urge the administration to reconsider this directive and instead work towards creating more equitable opportunities for students from all backgrounds."
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