A federal judge extended the deadline for more than a dozen higher education groups and private colleges to submit race- and sex-disaggregated admissions data to the U.S. Department of Education. The ruling, issued Monday by U.S. District Judge F. Dennis Saylor, gave institutional members of six higher education associations and six private nonprofit colleges until April 24. Saylor allowed the affected groups and colleges to join a legal challenge contesting the Department’s new survey announced last August. The Department has said the data are needed to evaluate whether colleges are complying with the 2023 Supreme Court ruling that struck down race-conscious admissions practices. The litigation centers on claims that the data collection process imposes an “onerous burden” and may violate the Administrative Procedure Act. Earlier this month, Saylor temporarily blocked enforcement of the data collection against public colleges in 17 states. The extended timeline keeps admissions compliance uncertainty alive for private institutions listed in the order—including Barnard, Bryn Mawr, Middlebury, Sarah Lawrence, Swarthmore, and Vassar—while the court considers whether to further limit the Department’s enforcement during the lawsuit.