Some higher education advocates have long sought transparency in college admissions data, but President Trump\u2019s latest actions to bring that dream to reality comes with trepidation in how the administration will use the information.<\/p>\n
In a memorandum\u00a0signed Thursday<\/a>, the president moved to require universities to give the Department of Education more admissions data. Education Secretary Linda McMahon is then instructed to build it into a database easily accessible to parents and students.<\/p>\n While the information could be eye-opening into how institutions are choosing students, it comes with a backdrop of fear the president will target universities that produce unfavorable data in his view.<\/p>\n \u201cI’ll say lots of folks in the space, researchers and think tanks alike, have wanted more transparency on the black box that is college admissions. So, I think that from that perspective, lots of folks would be interested in seeing this data. What I question with this administration is the intention around the collection of the data,\u201d said Wil Del Pilar, senior vice president of EdTrust. \u00a0<\/p>\n McMahon has 120 days to expand the scope of reporting requirements, leaving universities with the options to submit or fight in the legal the system. \u00a0<\/p>\n The move was made over the administration\u2019s concern universities are using \u201crace proxies\u201d such as diversity statements to circumvent the\u00a02023 Supreme Court ruling<\/a>\u00a0that stated race cannot be considered in college admissions. \u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cAmerican students and taxpayers deserve confidence in the fairness and integrity of our Nation\u2019s institutions of higher education, including confidence that they are recruiting and training capable future doctors, engineers, scientists, and other critical workers vital to the next generations of American prosperity.\u00a0Race-based admissions practices are not only unfair, but also threaten our national security and well-being,\u201d the order reads.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Universities that accept federal money are already required to share some data with the Education Department, such as enrollment numbers and graduation rates. \u00a0<\/p>\n However, admissions data has largely been kept under wraps for various reasons.\u00a0<\/p>\n One reason is due to the complexities of compiling the data into an accurate spreadsheet. College admissions offices consider not only GPA and test scores, but extracurricular activities and personal essays that are hard to quantify. \u00a0<\/p>\n Universities may also fear what the public will think regarding whom they do and do not admit.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI think one of the things that people are going to see is the amount of legacy admissions that have been taking place for a long, long time, and those admissions are typically white people,\u201d said\u00a0Marybeth Gasman, executive director for Rutgers University\u2019s Center for Minority Serving Institutions.\u00a0<\/p>\n