A federal judge has temporarily blocked the U.S. Department of Education from enforcing a fast-approaching deadline requiring public colleges in 17 states to submit admissions data disaggregated by race and sex, a requirement tied to the agency’s National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) survey. U.S. District Court Judge F. Dennis Saylor concluded the data collection is within the department’s legal authority, but found the rushed timeline likely violated the Administrative Procedure Act. The ruling delays enforcement for institutions in the states that sued, while a broader challenge moves through the courts. The dispute follows a Trump-era directive ordering colleges to provide detailed race and sex admissions and enrollment information intended to ensure compliance with the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2023 decision limiting race-conscious admissions. The administration’s timeline changed the NCES template midstream, and plaintiffs argued the process was “arbitrary and capricious.”