Court Narrows Relief on IPEDS ACTS—New Deadline is March 31

It has been a fast-moving few days on IPEDS ACTS, and the bottom line for private, nonprofit institutions is that compliance expectations are back in place, but with a bit more time to meet the Department of Education’s deadline.

Following a 90-minute hearing in the District of Massachusetts earlier this week, the court extended the temporary restraining order (TRO) through April 6, but only for public institutions in the 17 states that brought the lawsuit. Based on the judge’s comments, a preliminary injunction could be issued as soon as next week, though it is expected to apply only to those same public institutions. As a result, the nationwide relief that had briefly covered all institutions was effectively narrowed.

However, on Wednesday, the Association of American Universities (AAU) filed to intervene to extend the TRO to its members on the afternoon of March 25. The AAU suit would limit the extension of the TRO to its own membership, which includes both public and independent institutions, but NAICU is actively exploring options in support of extending the TRO to all private, nonprofit colleges and universities. NAICU had previously filed an amicus brief in support of the lawsuit brought by the state attorneys general and heard in federal court. 

For independent colleges and universities, that means the reporting requirement is once again in effect. However, in a related development, the Department of Education extended the IPEDS ACTS submission deadline for all institutions to March 31. Institutions must either submit their final data by that date or request an extension to April 8.

For more information, please contact:
Jody Feder