Proposed changes to how the U.S. Census Bureau counts residents and collects demographic information could have significant consequences for colleges and universities, their surrounding communities, and federal funding decisions, according to comments submitted by ACE and 18 other higher education associations. The groups urge the Census Bureau to withdraw the proposal, which would change the criteria used to determine who is included in the census count for congressional apportionment and prohibit certain demographic questions from appearing on census questionnaires.
One major concern is a proposal to exclude undocumented immigrants and some categories of legally present noncitizens from the population count. The comments warn that the changes could result in international students, faculty, and scholars living in the United States on temporary visas, including H-1B visa holders, not being counted in a future census.
Excluding these individuals could produce an inaccurate picture of campus populations and surrounding communities, particularly at institutions with large international student enrollments or substantial on-campus housing.
The associations also oppose a proposal to prohibit questions about race, ethnicity, and sexual orientation on census questionnaires. Race and ethnicity data have been collected since the first U.S. census in 1790, and eliminating those questions would disrupt a longstanding source of information used by researchers, policymakers, and institutions to understand demographic trends and disparities.
Colleges and universities rely on census data for a wide range of planning decisions, including identifying population shifts, assessing workforce needs, developing academic programs, and understanding enrollment trends. Changes that make census data less complete or comparable over time could undermine those efforts.
“The Decennial Census must remain a fair, accurate, inclusive, and trusted count of the people living in the United States,” the associations wrote. “Any rule governing residence criteria or demographic questions should strengthen that mission, not weaken it.”
If the Census Bureau does not withdraw the proposal, the associations urge substantial revisions developed in consultation with stakeholders, including higher education institutions.
They also requested a longer and more meaningful public comment period, and the deadline has now been moved from Oct. 13 to Nov. 2. Almost 80,000 comments have been submitted so far.