Judge Rules on California Universities’ Student Data Submission to Trump

A federal judge blocked a demand from the Trump administration on April 3, 2026, requiring public universities in 17 states to submit extensive applicant data. The ruling prevents the administration from forcing these institutions to turn over seven years of information regarding students who applied to or were admitted to their programs.

The order was issued by Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV of the U.S. District Court of Massachusetts. The decision comes in response to a lawsuit filed by California and 16 other Democratic-led states to stop the federal government from collecting the data.

Scope of the Data Request

The Trump administration sought sweeping amounts of data for hundreds of thousands of students. The requested information included the following details:

• Grade-point averages (GPA)
• Standardized test scores
• Race
• Family income
• Grant aid amounts

According to court documents, the administration requested this data to examine whether public universities were illegally considering race during their admissions processes.

Objections from California Universities

The University of California and California State University systems provided arguments against the request in court filings. These institutions stated that the demand was onerous and rushed.

University officials warned that the request risked student privacy. They also noted that the administration’s demand required them to track down hard-to-find information for hundreds of thousands of students, which individual campuses log differently.

Legal Status of the Ruling

The order issued on April 3, 2026, is a preliminary injunction. This legal measure provides a reprieve to the public colleges and universities located within the 17 states that joined the lawsuit.

The injunction applies specifically to the public institutions in those suing states while the legal case continues through litigation. The ruling ensures that these universities are not forced to submit the seven years of applicant and admitted student data while the court determines the ultimate legality of the administration’s demand.