Columbia and Brown Universities to Release Admissions and Racial Data Under Federal Settlement

Following recent settlements with two Ivy League institutions, the federal government will obtain access to standardized test scores and grade point averages for all applicants, along with their racial identities. This unprecedented level of data disclosure could significantly impact competitive college admissions.

This provision in the agreements with Columbia and Brown extends far beyond the usual information universities share with authorities. It was largely overshadowed by headlines about the universities agreeing to pay substantial sums to resolve allegations of federal anti-discrimination violations, including accusations relating to antisemitism.

Conservative groups have long sought such data to investigate whether colleges are circumventing the 2023 Supreme Court ruling that prohibits considering race in admissions decisions. It is expected that similar data demands will be made to other institutions in the future.

Meanwhile, college administrators and advocates who support holistic admissions processes worry that the released data could be used by government agencies, private entities, or individuals to bring new discrimination claims against universities, potentially putting federal funding at risk.

The administration is intensifying efforts to steer top-tier college admissions toward what it defines as 'merit-based' criteria, emphasizing grades and test scores. It argues that more subjective measures—such as evaluating applicants’ personal hardships or geographic background—may serve as covert proxies for race.

This heightened scrutiny is expected to influence admissions strategies nationwide, possibly prompting some universities to rethink recruitment initiatives targeting predominantly minority high schools or to reevaluate their acceptance of students with exceptional talents but lower test scores, even when such practices are believed to be lawful.