The federal government escalated scrutiny of higher education this month by suing Harvard while simultaneously demanding expanded admissions data from institutions nationwide. The Department of Justice’s suit against Harvard follows a months‑long federal probe into admissions, and officials have discussed enforcement actions tied to the investigation. At the same time, institutions’ research and compliance offices report heavy burdens from unprecedented federal requests for granular admissions data. Institutional researchers say the volume and specificity of the demands are straining staff and raising concerns about how the data will be used. Colleges face a near‑term compliance crunch: meeting deadlines, protecting student privacy, and parsing legal obligations while under heightened regulatory review. Leaders say the twin approach — litigation and broad data collection — signals a new posture from the federal government that could change how campuses respond to civil‑rights and admissions inquiries going forward.