Boston Judge Blocks Admissions Data Mandate for 17 States

A federal judge in Boston issued a preliminary injunction on Friday, blocking the Trump administration's effort to require public universities in 17 states to submit seven years of detailed admissions data, including applicants' race and ethnicity, to verify compliance with the Supreme Court's 2023 ban on affirmative action.

U.S. District Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV ruled that the Department of Education's process for implementing the data collection was flawed due to its rushed timeline and inadequate consultation with affected institutions. The order applies to public universities in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin. It halts enforcement of the requirement while the lawsuit proceeds, preserving the original deadline of March 18, 2026, for now.

The data request stemmed from an August 2025 executive directive by President Donald Trump, who instructed Education Secretary Linda McMahon to expand the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System, or IPEDS, through a new Admissions and Consumer Transparency Supplement. This supplement...