On August 7, 2025 the Trump Administration directed the U.S. Department of Education to significantly expand the collection of student admissions data from colleges and universities.

These orders, focused on race and sex data of prospective students, look to root out race-based admissions practices at selective colleges. It follows a 2023 Supreme Court decision that struck down affirmative action, a ruling that effectively ended the consideration of race in college admissions.

In this series, reporters in the Northwest News Network explores how Pacific Northwest colleges are impacted by the new directives, clarifies common misconceptions about the college admissions process and investigates the possible repercussions of the orders on low-income and underrepresented students.