California Attorney General Rob Bonta led a coalition of 18 attorneys general in submitting a comment letter opposing the U.S. Department of Education's proposal to collect extensive student data on race, admissions, and financial aid. The coalition argues the data collection is burdensome, unlikely to yield quality data, and may be misused to target lawful diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts.
In-house legal teams at higher education institutions should review agreements with the U.S. Department of Education (e.g., grant agreements, IPEDS reporting certifications) and any third-party vendor contracts handling student data. Focus on data sharing clauses to ensure they do not mandate overly broad disclosure of race-linked admissions, financial aid, or performance data without clear purpose limitations. Review consent provisions to verify student/parent authorization for such sensitive data collection, and assess breach notification and data retention clauses for adequacy given the increased volume and sensitivity of the proposed data. Changes may be needed to restrict data use to only Title VI enforcement, prohibit sharing with other agencies for ideological targeting of DEI programs, and require transparency about how collected data will be stored, accessed, and destroyed.
Entity
U.S. Department of Education
Industry
EducationOfficial Press Release
https://oag.ca.gov/news/press-releases/attorney-general-bonta-us-department-education%E2%80%99s-burdensome-data-collection
10.14.2025 IPEDS Letter
https://oag.ca.gov/system/files/attachments/press-docs/10.14.2025%20IPEDS%20Letter.pdf
California Attorney General Enforcement Page
https://oag.ca.gov/privacy/privacy-enforcement-actions
"U.S. Department of Education (ED)"
"Title VI, which prohibits discrimination based on race."
"poses concerns related to student privacy."
New York Attorney General Letitia James, joined by 16 other states, sued the U.S. Department of Education over a new survey requiring colleges to submit extensive student data, arguing it violates the Administrative Procedure Act and threatens student privacy. The lawsuit seeks to block the mandate and prevent penalties for non-compliance.
Attorney General Nick Brown of Washington led a coalition of 17 state attorneys general in filing a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Education on March 11, 2026, challenging new requirements for the IPEDS survey that demand race- and sex-disaggregated student data retroactive seven years. The coalition alleges the rushed rule violates the law, jeopardizes student privacy by collecting in-depth student information, and imposes undue burdens on institutions with unclear data definitions and risk of severe penalties for errors. The lawsuit seeks to invalidate the rule, arguing it was arbitrarily implemented without proper procedure and poses widespread privacy risks to students.
Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul, joined by 16 other attorneys general, filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Education to stop new data collection requirements under IPEDS that threaten student privacy by requesting sensitive personal information including income, test scores, and GPA.
Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell co-led a coalition of 17 attorneys general in filing a lawsuit against the Trump Administration to stop new data reporting requirements for colleges and universities through IPEDS. The requirements demand detailed student data disaggregated by race and sex, retroactive for seven years, which the coalition argues jeopardizes student privacy and could lead to baseless investigations.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Education to block the expansion of IPEDS data collection requiring colleges to submit race-linked student data. The lawsuit argues the demand is arbitrary, capricious, and burdensome, and could enable costly partisan investigations. A multistate coalition co-led the challenge.
Connecticut Attorney General William Tong joined a coalition of 17 attorneys general in filing a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Education to stop new data reporting requirements under IPEDS that demand detailed student information. The coalition argues the requirements are unlawful, arbitrary, and jeopardize student privacy by requesting in-depth data that could lead to inadvertent errors and baseless investigations. The lawsuit seeks an injunction to block the implementation of these requirements.