College Board Ends ‘Landscape’ Admissions Tool Amid Trump Administration Pushback on DEI

The College Board, the nonprofit administrator of the SAT exam, said it is discontinuing a tool designed to give colleges additional context on applicants from disadvantaged backgrounds, citing shifting federal and state policies on diversity, equity and inclusion.

According to Reuters, the tool, known as landscape, provided admissions officers with data on applicants’ high schools and neighborhoods, such as median family income and rates of college attendance. While the College Board stressed that the tool did not consider race or ethnicity, it was intended to highlight the potential of students from under-resourced communities.

“As federal and state policy continues to evolve around how institutions use demographic and geographic information in admissions, we are making a change to ensure our work continues to effectively serve students and institutions,” the College Board said in a statement.

The decision comes as former President Donald Trump’s administration intensifies pressure on colleges to roll back DEI programs. The administration has threatened to withhold federal funding from institutions that continue such initiatives, arguing that they unfairly disadvantage white applicants and men. Civil rights advocates counter that DEI programs aim to correct historic inequities and expand access to higher education.

A 2022 Bookings Institution Study found Landscape slightly increased admissions offers for students from disadvantaged areas but did not lead to higher enrollment rates among them.

The College Board emphasized that Landscape was “intentionally developed without the use or consideration of data on race or ethnicity.”

Attorney General Pam Bondi reinforced the administration’s position in a July memo warning federal funding recipients to base decisions only on universally applied criteria, such as academic merit or financial need, without regard to demographic goals.

Trump has also linked potential funding cuts to a wide range of campus policies and protests, including pro-Palestinian demonstrations against Israel’s war in Gaza, climate change initiatives, transgender rights policies, and DEI programming.

The College Board’s move reflects the growing uncertainty colleges face in navigating admissions policies as federal oversight tightens.