President Trump is expected to sign an executive order requiring universities to be transparent about their admissions practices in order to receive federal financial assistance.
The order, according to a senior White House official, directs Education Secretary Linda McMahon to broaden the requirements for schools to report admission data and revamp the online database with the information so students and parents can easily navigate it.
The secretary is also directed to increase accuracy checks on the data submitted and take action if a university submits incomplete or late data.
The executive order comes after the 2023 Supreme Court decision that said institutions could no longer use race as a factor in admissions.
The White House said the lack of admission data and other “race proxies” used by universities such as diversity statements makes them concerned the practice is still continued at institutions.
The executive order comes as the president battles to reform higher education. Trump has pulled billions of dollars in federal funding from institutions over a range of issues, including alleged antisemitism to diversity, equity and inclusion measures on campuses.
In deals made with Columbia University and Brown University, both institutions agreed to transparency and reforms to their admissions and hiring practices.
Source: The Hill - News
