President Donald Trump issued a directive on Thursday mandating that US universities submit detailed enrolment data to demonstrate they are not considering race in their admissions processes.
This follows the 2023 US Supreme Court ruling which declared race-based affirmative action in university admissions unlawful. However, the Court allowed institutions to consider applicants’ personal experiences related to race in admission essays.
“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 practice,”
— Donald Trump, Presidential Memorandum
Trump’s order requires universities to report expanded admission-related data to the National Center for Education Statistics. The memorandum states that further details regarding the new requirements will be announced at a later date.
Trump’s Wider Campaign Against Higher Education
Since returning to the presidency, Trump has launched a broad campaign targeting US universities. He accuses them of:
- Promoting anti-conservative ideology
- Encouraging anti-Semitism
- Advancing “woke” culture
- Implementing Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) policies that, in his view, discriminate against white individuals
In addition to this order, Trump has issued executive actions that curtail DEI programmes within federal agencies, claiming such policies reinforce racial hierarchies rather than eliminate them.
“Greater transparency is essential to exposing unlawful practices and ultimately ridding society of shameful, dangerous racial hierarchies,”
— Donald Trump
Leveraging Federal Funding
Trump has also used federal funding as leverage to force reforms at universities deemed overly liberal. Key measures include:
- Withholding or reducing research funding
- Imposing curricular and enrolment changes
- Suspending funds for institutions under investigation
A prominent case involved Columbia University, which became the first major target in Trump’s crackdown. Following its alleged failure to address anti-Semitism after pro-Palestinian campus protests, Columbia:
| Consequence | Details |
| Lost Federal Funding | Hundreds of millions of dollars revoked |
| Lost Research Grant Access | Ineligible for new federal research funding |
| Research Impact | Lab funding frozen; dozens of researchers laid off |
In July, Columbia agreed to pay:
- $200 million to the federal government
- $21 million to settle an anti-Semitism investigation
As part of the settlement, Columbia — along with Brown University — agreed to disclose admissions data including race and standardised test scores to federal authorities, in accordance with anti-discrimination law compliance.
Summary Table of Key Points
| Policy Area | Trump’s Action |
| Race in University Admissions | Mandated race-based admission data disclosure |
| Affirmative Action | Opposes; supports Supreme Court ruling against it |
| DEI Programmes | Executive actions to curtail or eliminate |
| University Oversight | Leverages federal funding for ideological compliance |
| Targeted Institutions | Columbia University, Brown University |
| Funding Impact | Loss of grants, layoffs, frozen research funds |
| Settlement Outcomes | $221 million in penalties from Columbia |
Trump’s measures signify a sweeping attempt to reshape the landscape of American higher education, with race, funding, and ideology at the heart of his administration’s agenda.
