dotEDU is back for Season 7 with an examination of President Trump's demand for admissions data by race and sex and what that means for campuses. Hosts Mushtaq Gunja, Jon Fansmith, and Sarah Spreitzer—joined by ACE's Hiro Okahana—explain what's being requested, what's lawful, and the need to avoid misleading metrics and protect student privacy. Plus: updates on international students, Harvard's funding-freeze case, and the outlook on appropriations for the fiscal year that starts Oct. 1.

Here are some of the links and references from this week's show:

Trump Memo on Admissions Data

Ensuring Transparency in Higher Education Admission The White House | August 7, 2025

U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon Directs National Center for Education Statistics to Collect Universities' Data on Race Discrimination in Admissions U.S Department of Education | August 7, 2025

Trump Administration Orders Colleges to Submit New Admissions Data ACE | August 11, 2025

Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) IPEDS

Inaccurate, impossible: Experts knock new Trump plan to collect college admissions data The Hechinger Report | August 18, 2025

Trump's college admissions changes could backfire Politico | August 15, 2025

Higher Education & The Trump Administration ACE

International Students

DHS Proposal to Replace Duration of Status NAFSA | September 9, 2025

Establishing a Fixed Time Period of Admission and an Extension of Stay Procedure for Nonimmigrant Academic Students, Exchange Visitors, and Representatives of Foreign Information Media Federal Register | August 28, 2025

Letter to Secretary Rubio Urging Exemption of F/J/M Visas from Travel Ban (PDF) ACE

Harvard Ruling

Federal Court Backs Harvard in Ruling, Echoing Concerns Raised in ACE Brief ACE | September 5, 2025

FY 2026 Appropriations

House Bill Preserves Pell, Slashes Other Student Aid Programs ACE | September 5, 2025

Senate Appropriators Reject Trump's Proposed Pell Grant and NIH Cuts ACE | August 4, 2025

A Brief Guide to the Federal Budget and Appropriations Process ACE

Government Shutdowns and Higher Education ACE