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A coalition of 17 Democratic-led states has filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration over new federal reporting requirements that would require colleges and universities to provide extensive admissions and student data broken down by race.
The lawsuit challenges a new federal survey known as the Admissions and Consumer Transparency Supplement, or ACTS, which the administration says is intended to ensure colleges are complying with restrictions on affirmative action, according to The Hill.
State officials argue the policy represents a significant shift from the type of information the federal government has traditionally collected from higher education institutions through the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System, a long-standing database used to track enrollment, graduation rates, and other key metrics across American colleges.
Under the ACTS survey, universities would be required to provide years of detailed admissions, financial aid and student performance data categorized by race and other demographic factors. The Trump administration says the information will help determine whether schools are continuing to engage in race-conscious admissions practices after the Supreme Court’s 2023 decision that struck down affirmative action policies at many colleges.
But the states suing the federal government say the request goes far beyond standard reporting requirements and could place a heavy burden on universities.
In court filings, the states argue that “the sheer amount of data sought through the ACTS survey would place a considerable burden” on schools and require them to compile large amounts of information on short timelines.
The lawsuit also raises concerns about how the data could be used.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta, whose office is helping lead the legal challenge, accused the administration of attempting to use the reporting requirements as a political tool. “The Trump Administration is on a fishing expedition — demanding unprecedented amounts of data from our colleges and universities under the guise of enforcing civil rights law,” Bonta said in a statement, per The Hill.
Bonta also criticized the administration’s record on civil rights enforcement, pointing to cuts and changes at the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights. “This is the same administration, I’ll remind you, that gutted the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights, leaving thousands of civil rights complaints and investigations in limbo,” Bonta said. “This latest sham demand threatens to turn a reliable tool into a partisan bludgeon.”
The states argue that if the policy is allowed to proceed, universities could face costly compliance efforts and potential federal penalties if they fail to provide the requested data.
Along with California, the lawsuit was filed by the attorneys general of New York, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Jersey, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Wisconsin, and Washington.
The coalition is asking the court to block the policy before colleges are required to submit the information.
The Trump administration has defended its broader efforts to increase scrutiny of university admissions policies following the Supreme Court’s ruling on affirmative action, which reshaped how schools can consider race in admissions decisions.
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