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Judge Blocks Trump Administration’s College Admissions Data Mandate in 17 States

The judge faulted a rushed process that left the Education Department’s statistics office too short-staffed to work with colleges.

The U.S. Department of Education building, weeks into the continuing U.S. government shutdown, in Washington, D.C., U.S., October 21, 2025. REUTERS/Kylie Cooper//File Photo
U.S. District Court Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV attends the Investiture Ceremony for U.S. District Judge Brian Murphy, who blocked the Trump administration for weeks from finalizing the deportation of eight men to South Sudan, at the federal courthouse in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S., September 17, 2025. REUTERS/Brian Snyder/File Photo
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Overview

  • U.S. District Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV issued a preliminary injunction Friday in Boston that stops the administration from enforcing its new data demand on public universities in 17 Democratic-led states.
  • The blocked requirement sought seven years of admissions records broken down by race and sex, plus GPAs, test scores, grant aid, and family income, with a March 18 deadline and possible penalties under the Higher Education Act.
  • Saylor said the Education Department likely has legal authority to collect admissions data but called the rollout “rushed and chaotic,” citing the 120-day directive from the president and reduced staffing at the National Center for Education Statistics.
  • The order covers only public institutions in the plaintiff states, and it does not halt federal requests to private schools; AAU member universities received an extension to April 14, with a court hearing set for April 13 on broader relief.
  • Separate enforcement continues through the Justice Department and the Education Department’s civil rights office, including probes of UCLA, UC San Diego, and Stanford medical schools and a recent demand that Harvard turn over admissions records within 20 days.