On Wednesday, the Trump administration issued a notice in the Federal Register to expand data reporting requirements for the Integrated Postsecondary Data System (IPEDS) beginning this school year. The new requirements, collectively called the “Admissions and Consumer Transparency Supplement” (ACTS), are intended to uncover “whether institutions of higher education are using race-based preferencing in their admissions processes.”

The ACTS was developed in response to President Trump’s August 7 memorandum and set in motion by Education Secretary McMahon the same day. The proposed requirements underwent a public comment period, drawing more than 3,000 responses before it closed October 14.

Initially, ACTS requirements were expected to focus on four-year schools with selective admissions processes, which ED argue “have an elevated risk of noncompliance with the civil rights laws.” Following public comment, ED determined that all four-year institutions that receive federal funding would be subject to the new reporting requirements. Two-year colleges and open-enrollment institutions that only award aid based on financial need would be exempt.

Under the Trump administration’s terms:

  • Colleges must submit six years worth of applicant, admissions, and enrollment data for undergraduate and some graduate and professional programs—disaggregated by student race and sex—to the National Center for Education Statistics, which oversees IPEDS.
  • Data would also be disaggregated by standardized test score quintiles, GPA quintiles, and first-generation status. Colleges would also be required to share data points on family income, Pell grant eligibility, and parents’ education level.
  • For enrolled students, colleges must report outcomes data like graduation rates and final GPAs, as well as financial aid offered and awarded.

What’s Next

Yesterday, the U.S. Department of Education formally submitted the request to the Office of Management and Budget to make these changes to IPEDS. It is unclear what OMB’s timeline will be for reviewing and/or approving the request. 

A coalition of higher ed organizations and advocacy groups led by the American Council on Education (ACE) panned the ACTS, citing concerns about the timeline and the manpower necessary to be in compliance.