Admission Office Records, 1854-2001 (bulk 1922-1998): Finding Aid

Permanent URL: http://arks.princeton.edu/ark:/88435/8623hx736

Admission Office Records, 1854-2001 (bulk 1922-1998): Finding Aid

AC152

Princeton University press release confirming that the raising of standards for college entrance requirements did not have 'a deterrant effect' on students applying for admisson at the University. Admission Office Records, Series 1, History, 1854-1978, Box 1, Folder 1.

Seeley G. Mudd Manuscript Library
65 Olden Street
Princeton, New Jersey 08540 USA
Phone: 609-258-6345
Fax: 609-258-3385
mudd@princeton.edu
http://www.princeton.edu/~mudd

Published in 2002

Summary Information

Creator:: Princeton University. Undergraduate Admission Office.
Title and dates:: Admission Office Records, 1854-2001 (bulk 1922-1998)
Abstract:: The Admission Office has determined who should be allowed to enroll as undergraduates at Princeton University since 1922. The actual composition and the desired composition of each class have been contentious campus issues since the introduction of selective admission. The debates over the value of recruiting and admitting alumni sons, war veterans, athletes, disadvantaged students (especially racial minorities), and women are reflected in the records of the Admission Office. This collection includes a number of reports and minutes, some of which are restricted, news clippings and releases about Princeton admission, historical materials, and a series of Admission Office publications.
Size:: 3.65 linear feet (8 archival boxes, 1 half-size archival box)
Call number:: AC152
Location:: Princeton University Library. Department of Rare Books and Special Collections.
Seeley G. Mudd Manuscript Library.
Princeton University Archives.
Princeton, New Jersey 08540 USA
Language(s) of material:: English.
Storage note:: This collection is stored onsite at the Mudd Manuscript Library.

History of the Admission Office

Until the middle of the nineteenth century, admission decisions were based primarily on an oral examination given at Princeton. The president made the final admission decisions and sometimes administered the exam himself. Written examinations gradually replaced oral examinations, and after 1888, they could be taken at a number of locations throughout the country.

A flood of applicants after the First World War forced the University to limit enrollment and institute a selective admission policy. The trustees decided to create the Admission Office in 1922 and charged it to apply the new admission policies. Until that year, students who passed the exams-proving competency in classical languages, mathematics, and other core subjects-were admitted automatically. From the establishment of the office until 1950, director Radcliffe Heermance shaped modern admission procedures (such as mailed applications, consideration of standardized assessment scores, and alumni interviews) and established lasting relationships between the Admission Office and secondary schools, alumni, and the faculty admission committee. Since 1950, Admission Office directors have overseen the recruitment of disadvantaged and minority students (since the mid-1960s), the introduction of women into the applicant pool (in 1969), and the soaring application rates of the late twentieth century.

Description

Consists of a documentary record of Princeton University admission policy divided into chronological timeframes and includes material such as entrance exams and requirements, press releases, admission booklets, pamphlets, reports, and sample correspondence. Series 5, Confidential Reports and Minutes (Redacted), 1931-1969, consists of reports and minutes that were selected and photocopied from Series 6. The names of applicants contained in this material have been blacked out to protect their privacy. Series 7 consists of a slideshow that documents the office's efforts to recruit minority students.

Arrangement

Organized into the following series:

Series 1, History, 1854-1978
Series 2, News, 1920-1998
Series 3, Publications, 1889-2001
Series 4, Reports and Policy, 1911-1998
Series 5, Confidential Reports and Minutes (Redacted), 1931-1969
Series 6, Confidential Reports and Minutes, 1931-1970
Series 7, Princeton School Committee Slideshow, circa 1970

Access and Use

Access

Confidential reports to the president and the faculty contain the names of students, faculty, and staff. These documents (Series 6) are closed for the lifetimes of the individuals to whom they relate. A redacted version of Series 6 (Series 5) is open to researchers with permission.

Restrictions on Use and Copyright Information

Single photocopies may be made for research purposes. Permission to publish material from the collection must be requested from the University Archivist. Copyright is held by the Trustees of Princeton University.

Acquisition and Appraisal

Provenance and Acquisition

Portions of this collection, specifically Series 6, were transferred to the University Archives from the Admission Office. Series 7 was donated by Alexander W. Wellford in 2008 [AR2008-074].

Related Materials

Related Archival Material

See the Registrar's Grade Books Collection, AC #116, for President's Admission Books covering admitted students from 1872 to 1890.

Processing and Other Information

Processing Information

This collection was processed by Matthew Reeder in December 2002. Finding aid written by Matthew Reeder in December 2002.

Descriptive Rules Used

Finding aid content adheres to that prescribed by Describing Archives: A Content Standard.

Encoding

Machine-readable finding aid encoded in EAD 2002 by Techbooks and Cristela García-Spitz on September 20, 2006.

Finding aid written in English.

Preferred Citation

Identification of specific item; Date (if known); Admission Office Records, Box and Folder Number; Princeton University Archives, Department of Rare Books and Special Collections, Princeton University Library.

Subject Headings

These materials have been indexed in the Princeton University Library online catalog using the following terms. Those seeking related materials should search under these terms.

Browse other finding aids related to the following terms:

Princeton University

Contents List

Series 1, History, 1854-1978

Series Description

Series 1, History, 1854-1978, is a documentary record of admission policy divided into chronological timeframes. Documents include articles, entrance exams, entrance requirement guides, guides to assessing applicants, guides to specialized degree programs, histories of admission policies, press releases, reports, and sample correspondence. These folders were originally labeled “documents.”

Series Arrangement

Organized chronologically.

Admissions History through 1919, 1854-1958
Box 1, Folder 1
Admissions History, 1920-1959, 1920-1957
Box 1, Folder 2
Admissions History, 1960-1969, 1960-1969
Box 1, Folder 3
Admissions History, 1970-1979, 1970-1978
Box 1, Folder 4

Series 2, News, 1920-1998

Series Description

Series 2, News, 1920-1998, includes news clippings, press releases, and articles about admission to Princeton. These news items are filed in chronological order. Much of this material consists of stories about the yearly admission statistics and admission trends at Princeton. Some articles, however, discuss admission controversies such as practices limiting or benefiting athletes, “bookworms,” and racial minorities, and errors like the acceptance in 1988 of a convicted felon, James Hogue, who masqueraded as a ranch hand to gain admission.

Series Arrangement

Organized chronologically.

Clippings and News Releases, 1920-1998
Box 1, Folder 5-8

Series 3, Publications, 1889-2001

Series Description

Series 3, Publications, 1889-2001, contains admission booklets, pamphlets, notices, and application forms for prospective students. The series is organized alphabetically by the title or the content of the publication. In addition to the general viewbooks and undergraduate application forms, this series includes information for prospective minority, international, and transfer students, as well as some matriculation forms.

Series Arrangement

Organized alphabetically.

Admission Information and Applications, 1934-1977
Box 1, Folder 9-10
Admission Information and Applications, 1977-2001
Box 2, Folder 1-6
Bulletin, 1968-1973
Box 2, Folder 7
Entrance Exam Notices, 1889-1911
Box 2, Folder 8
Entrance Requirements, 1892-1912
Box 2, Folder 9
Financial Aid, 2000
Box 3, Folder 1
Graduate Admission, 2000
Box 3, Folder 2
International Students, 1983-1999
Box 3, Folder 3
Introduction to Princeton, 1977-1995
Box 3, Folder 4
Matriculation Information, 1981-1999
Box 3, Folder 5
Minority Life, circa 1981-circa 1989
Box 3, Folder 6
Other Publications, 1958-2000
Box 3, Folder 7-9
Transfer Students, circa 1984-circa 1985
Box 3, Folder 10
Visiting Princeton, 1984-1999
Box 3, Folder 11

Series 4, Reports and Policy, 1911-1998

Series Description

Series 4, Reports and Policy, 1911-1998, consists of reports by or about the Admission Office as well as documents related to the formulation of admission policy. The reports chronicle general admission policy, history, and yearly statistics. The folder entitled “Women” contains admission notices and internal documents relating to the rushed and uncertain admission process for the first female undergraduates in 1969.

Series Arrangement

Organized alphabetically.

Analysis of the Freshman Class, 1920-1961
Box 3, Folder 12-14
Annual Report, 1968-1969
Box 3, Folder 15
Graduate Council Review of University Admission Policy, 1948
Box 3, Folder 16

Kim, SooHyung. The Aims of Education and Admission: A Study of the Admissions Process at Princeton University, its History, Methodology, and Goals, 1994

Box 3, Folder 17

McPherson, Simon, Rev., Lawrenceville School Headmaster. Correspondence, 1911-1917
Box 3, Folder 18
Report of Trustee Committee on Alumni Affairs, Appendix on Admission, 1975
Box 3, Folder 19
Report to the Faculty, 1959-1972
Box 4, Folder 1-3
Report to Schools, 1960-1973
Box 4, Folder 4
Undergraduate Admission Study Group, 1997-1998
Box 4, Folder 5
Women, 1969
Box 4, Folder 6

Series 5, Confidential Reports and Minutes (Redacted), 1931-1969

Series Description

Series 5, Confidential Reports and Minutes (Redacted), 1931-1969, consists of reports and minutes that were selected and photocopied from Series 6. The names of applicants contained in this material have been blacked out to protect their privacy.

Series Arrangement

Organized alphabetically.

Committee on Admission Minutes, 1931-1967
Box 5, Folder 1-4
Regional Alumni Admission Committees, 1969
Box 5, Folder 5
Reports to the President, 1943-1946
Box 5, Folder 6

Series 6, Confidential Reports and Minutes, 1931-1970

Series Description

Series 6, Confidential Reports and Minutes, 1931-1970, are photocopies of admission reports and minutes damaged in a flood at New South. Portions of the original volumes were destroyed; the surviving pages were photocopied and the originals discarded. Many of the pages are partially or totally illegible and out of order. While the reports convey statistical and policy information, the Committee on Admission minutes describe the committee's reasoning and final decisions in many specific difficult admission cases. However, there are passages in the reports that candidly discuss the general applicant quality and the admission policy regarding various groups, including alumni sons, athletes, and disadvantaged students.

Series Arrangement

Organized alphabetically.

Annual Report, circa 1968
Box 6, Folder 1
Committee on Admission Minutes, 1931-1967
Box 6, Folder 2-5
Committee on Admission Minutes, 1969-1970
Box 7, Folder 1
Regional Alumni Admission Committees, 1969
Box 7, Folder 2
Reports to the Faculty, 1962-1966
Box 7, Folder 3
Reports to the President, 1943-1961
Box 7, Folder 4-5
Reports to the President, 1955-circa 1960s
Box 8, Folder 1-2

AR2008.074 Series 7, Princeton School Committee Slideshow, circa 1970

(0.5 linear feet in 1 Box)

Series Description

Series 7, Princeton School Committee Slideshow, circa 1970, consists of 121 slides, a slide carousel, a script, and an inventory of slides. The theme of the slideshow is "Excellence and Diversity," and the slides depict Princeton University student life as it pertains to academics, athletics, extracurricular activities, residential life and the campus and its buildings. The slideshow documents the Admissions Office's efforts to recruit minority students in the 1970s.