Massachusetts leads a coalition of states in filing a federal lawsuit against the Trump administration’s directive requiring colleges to submit seven years of detailed race and sex data on applicants, admitted students, and enrollments by March 18, arguing the rushed timeline threatens student privacy and institutional stability.

Federal Mandate Triggers Legal Battle

President Trump ordered the new policy in August following concerns that colleges use personal statements and other methods as proxies to consider race in admissions, which his administration views as illegal discrimination. Education Secretary Linda McMahon now demands comprehensive data broken down by race and sex, retroactively covering seven years. Colleges failing to submit complete and accurate information face potential fines, funding cuts, and federal investigations under Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965.

Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell challenged the administration’s approach in a statement, saying the rushed and arbitrary timeframe makes it impossible for institutions to deliver accurate data. She warned that schools face unfair threats of penalties and baseless investigations for failing to meet impossible demands that jeopardize student privacy and could lead to individual identification.

Administration Defends Transparency Push

Education Department spokesperson Ellen Keast defended the collection effort, emphasizing that American taxpayers invest over one hundred billion dollars annually in higher education. The department plans to expand existing transparency tools through the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System to show how universities consider race in admissions. The policy mirrors recent settlement agreements with Brown University and Columbia University, which restored federal research funding after those institutions agreed to provide detailed applicant data and submit to government audits.

Constitutional Questions at Center

The legal conflict emerges from tension following the 2023 Supreme Court decision against affirmative action in admissions. While that ruling prohibited explicit racial preferences, it allowed colleges to consider how race shaped students’ lives if applicants voluntarily shared such information in essays. The lawsuit coalition argues the new data demands create student privacy risks and expose institutions to errors that could trigger costly penalties, while the administration maintains taxpayers deserve accountability for how federal dollars support higher education institutions across the country.