A rule proposed by the Trump administration would take away the tax-exempt status of private schools and colleges that offer scholarships, admissions consideration or other help based on race or country of origin. Advocates say Haitian-born students could be hit especially hard.

The Treasury Department and the Internal Revenue Service announced the proposal on September 3. A private institution would lose its nonprofit status if it keeps any policy that considers race or national or ethnic origin in admissions, scholarships, loans, athletics or other programs.

The rule could affect an estimated 18,000 private schools, from primary schools to universities and trade schools. If it is made final, it would apply to tax years beginning after May 31, 2027.

Schools could still give aid based on criteria such as family income, location, being the first in a family to attend college, individual hardship or academic achievement, officials said.

“The impact will come before the rule is even finalized because this creates a chilling effect,” said Alejandra Vásquez Bauer of the advocacy group EdTrust, a former teacher in Miami-Dade County. She said colleges afraid of IRS scrutiny could quietly cut scholarships well before the rule takes effect.

“My Haitian American students were incredible students with dreams and goals,” she said. “This proposal limits those dreams to only those who can afford to attend.”

The Congressional Black Caucus, chaired by Representative Yvette D. Clarke of New York, called the proposal “a discriminatory abuse of federal power” that should be challenged in court.