New York Attorney General Letitia James and attorneys general from 16 other states filed a lawsuit on Mar. 11 against the Trump administration, challenging a new federal data collection requirement for colleges and universities. The suit targets the U.S. Department of Education’s “Admissions and Consumer Transparency Supplement” survey, which demands that institutions rapidly compile and submit years of detailed admissions and student data, including breakdowns by race, gender, income, and academic performance.
The attorneys general argue that the new mandate places an unmanageable burden on higher education institutions while risking student privacy. They claim the requirements were rushed into effect without proper legal procedures or guidance to target diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.
“Once again, this administration is trying to stretch the federal government’s authority to serve its own political agenda and target DEI initiatives,” said Attorney General James. “Colleges and universities should not be forced to turn over massive amounts of sensitive student data to satisfy another witch hunt. We are going to court to stop this unlawful mandate and protect institutions and students across the country.”
Historically, the Department of Education has used the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) for basic statistical information from colleges. The new survey requires schools to report extensive admissions data broken down by demographic categories as well as test scores, grade point averages, family income ranges, financial aid details, and graduation outcomes—up to seven years back—even though such tracking was not previously required. According to the administration, these changes aim to identify what it calls unlawful DEI practices in higher education.
James and her counterparts say that colleges could face steep fines or lose access to federal student aid if they fail to comply with unclear instructions under tight deadlines. They warn that especially in smaller programs, reporting such granular information could make individual students identifiable.
New York’s public university systems like SUNY and CUNY—as well as private colleges—could be forced to divert significant resources toward compliance with these new rules on short notice. The attorneys general assert that these actions violate the Administrative Procedure Act.
Letitia James heads the New York Attorney General’s office according to its official website. The office promotes social justice through civil rights enforcement according to its official website, protects New Yorkers’ rights according to its official website, operates regional offices statewide according to its official website, provides services such as consumer fraud investigations according to its official website, and serves as a public law enforcement agency for New York according to its official website.
Joining James in filing this lawsuit are attorneys general from California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Jersey, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Wisconsin, and Washington.
