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."
Organized chronologically.
Admissions History, 1920-1957
Admissions History, 1960-1969
Admissions History, 1970-1978
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.
Organized chronologically.
Clippings and News Releases, 1920-1998
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.
Organized alphabetically.
Bulletin, 1968-1973
Entrance Exam Notices, 1889-1911
Entrance Requirements, 1892-1912
Financial Aid, 2000
Graduate Admission, 2000
International Students, 1983-1999
Introduction to Princeton, 1977-1995
Matriculation Information, 1981-1999
Minority Life, circa 1981-1989
Other Publications, 1958-2000
Transfer Students, circa 1984-1985
Visiting Princeton, 1984-1999
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.
Organized alphabetically.
Annual Report, 1968-1969
Report to the Faculty, 1959-1972
Report to Schools, 1960-1973
Women, 1969
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.
Organized alphabetically.
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.
Organized alphabetically.
Annual Report, circa 1968
Reports to the Faculty, 1962-1966
Reports to the President, 1943-1961
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.
Original order of materials has been maintained.
Series 8, July 2009 Accession includes reports, alumni association conference materials, administrative files and subject files that pertain to Princeton matters and to broader topics of university admissions.
Original order of materials has been maintained.
Reports, 1953-1977
Faculty, 1972 October
Annual Report, 1968-1971
Faculty, 1959-1968
1977, 1977
1976, 1976
1975, 1975
1974, 1974
1973, 1973
1972, 1972
1971, 1971
1970, 1970
1968-1969, 1968-1969
1964-1967, 1964-1967
1953-1963, 1953-1963
Cambodian Incident, 1970
Campus Life, 1968-1972
Campus Unrest, 1968-1970
Co-Education, 1968-1971
Comments, 1969-1971
Form Letters, 1968-1969
Patterson Report, 1968
Planning, 1968-1970
Results, 1968-1970
Studies, 1968-1970
Declines, 1970
Disadvantaged, 1948-1971
Enrollment, 1965-1975
1970-1973, 1970-1973
1970, 1970
1969, 1969
1966-1968, 1966-1968
1963-1965, 1963-1965
1960-1962, 1960-1962
G-I Project Memo, 1970
Hickel Heckle, 1970
Humor, 1969-1970
Alumni, 1969-1970
Applicants, 1969-1970
Other, 1969-1970
Staff, 1969
University, 1969
Inventory, 1964-1966
Library Carrel, 1970
Mexican-American, 1968
Meyer, Stanley, 1970
Movie, 1968-1969
Oznot Case, 1964
Rank in Class, 1970
Rating System, 1971
Report for Action, 1968
Romanian Embassy, 1969
Second Reading, 1971
Size of Class, 1969
Space, circa 1960-1975
Speeches, 1960-1975
Admission Workshop, 1968
Staff Memos, 1970-1975
Admissions, 1969
Alumni Memos, 1965
Staff Memos, 1963-1966
Trustees, 1962-1972
1963-1972, 1963-1972
Miscellaneous, 1959-1969
Organization, 1968
Publications, 1970-1974
Publications, 1964-1969
Salary Study, 1971
ACT, 1962-1971
Bowdoin College, 1969
CEEB, 1963-1978
Advanced Placement, 1971
Fee Waivers, 1968-1971
Handbook, 1968-1973
1970-1971, 1970-1971
1970, 1970
1969-1970, 1969-1970
1969-1970, 1969-1970
1968-1973, 1968-1973
General, 1967-1974
Organization, 1968-1971
Questionnaire, 1965-1970
Score Reports, 1971-1978
Dartmouth, 1953-1973
Focus, 1970
Harvard, 1967-1970
Ivy Athletics, 1952-1970
Ivy Group, 1970-1972
Ivy Group, 1951-1974
NRO, 1969-1970
1951-1973, 1951-1973
Newsletter, 1966-1970
Smith College, 1963-1970
Yale, 1968-1973
Development Office, 1971
Library, circa 1960-1975
Orange Key, 1969-1972
Admissions, 1972
Staff Memos, 1967-1969
ROTC, circa 1960-1975
Admission Handbook, 1969
Atlanta Conference, 1962
Minutes, 1955
Minutes, 1954
Miscellaneous, 1955
1955, 1955
Finances, 1954-1955
Houston Conference, 1953-1955
Report on, 1954
Publicity, 1954
Thank you notes, 1954
Finances, 1954
The Shamrock Hotel, 1953
Program, 1954-1955
Miscellaneous, 1953-1954
Miscellaneous, 1952
Conferences, 1952
Finances, 1952-1954
Miscellaneous, 1952
Printed Material, 1952
Program, 1952
Publicity, 1952
Program Amendment, 1952
Room Requests, 1952
Speeches, 1952
Joseph C. Elgin, 1952
George A. Graham, 1952
E. Harris Harbison, 1952
Whitney J. Oates, 1952
Series 9, September 2012 Accession, Slides for Admissions Office Publication, circa 1999 includes approximately 300 slides of the campus, students and faculty, most likely for the "Princeton At a Glance" publication.
No arrangement action taken or arrangement information not recorded at the time of processing.
Series 10, September 2013 Accession, Summary Statistics for Classes 1970 through 2008, 1965-2005
Series 10, September 2013 Accession, Summary Statistics for Classes 1970 through 2008, consists of statistics (represented anonymously) including but not limited to applicants' SAT scores, class rank, race, socio-economic background, geographic origin, and legacy status.
No arrangement action taken or arrangement information not recorded at the time of processing.
Class of 1971 Class A Statistics: Pson & BSE Feb 23, 1967, 1st Round Admits March 11, 1967, 1971
Series 11: Public Website, 2015-2017
The Admissions website contains information for prospective students including an overview of the Princeton undergraduate experience, application and financial aid information, faculty and staff profiles, the Princeton Viewbook publication, and a student blog, as well as information for parents and guidance counselors.
No arrangement has been imposed on this series.
Contains applications from the World War II period, with declines or denials. Much of the correspondence is addressed to or written by Director of Admissions Radcliffe Heermance.
- Scope and Contents
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, sample correspondence and statistics. 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.
- Collection Creator Biography:
Princeton University. Undergraduate 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.
- Acquisition:
Portions of this collection, specifically Series 6 and Series 8, were transferred to the University Archives from the Admission Office. Series 7 was donated by Alexander W. Wellford in 2008.
- Appraisal
No appraisal information is available.
- Processing Information
This collection was processed by Matthew Reeder in December 2002. Finding aid written by Matthew Reeder in December 2002.
- Conditions Governing Access
Series 1 through 4, 7 and 9 are open for research. Series 6, Confidential Reports and Minutes, contains the names of students, faculty, and staff. These documents are closed for the lifetimes of the individuals to whom they relate. A redacted version of Series 6 (Series 5) is open; however researchers must sign a consent agreement to view these materials. The materials in Series 8 and 10 are closed for 30 years from the date of their creation.
- Conditions Governing Use
Single copies may be made for research purposes. To cite or publish quotations that fall within Fair Use, as defined under U. S. Copyright Law, no permission is required. The Trustees of Princeton University hold copyright to all materials generated by Princeton University employees in the course of their work. For instances beyond Fair Use, if copyright is held by Princeton University, researchers do not need to obtain permission, complete any forms, or receive a letter to move forward with use of materials from the Princeton University Archives.
For instances beyond Fair Use where the copyright is not held by the University, while permission from the Library is not required, it is the responsibility of the researcher to determine whether any permissions related to copyright, privacy, publicity, or any other rights are necessary for their intended use of the Library's materials, and to obtain all required permissions from any existing rights holders, if they have not already done so. Princeton University Library's Special Collections does not charge any permission or use fees for the publication of images of materials from our collections, nor does it require researchers to obtain its permission for said use. The department does request that its collections be properly cited and images credited. More detailed information can be found on the Copyright, Credit and Citations Guidelines page on our website. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us through the Ask Us! form.
- Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
For preservation reasons, original analog and digital media may not be read or played back in the reading room. Users may visually inspect physical media but may not remove it from its enclosure. All analog audiovisual media must be digitized to preservation-quality standards prior to use. Audiovisual digitization requests are processed by an approved third-party vendor. Please note, the transfer time required can be as little as several weeks to as long as several months and there may be financial costs associated with the process. Requests should be directed through the Ask Us Form.
- Credit this material:
Admission Office Records; Princeton University Archives, Department of Special Collections, Princeton University Library
- Permanent URL:
- http://arks.princeton.edu/ark:/88435/8623hx736
- Location:
-
Seeley G. Mudd Manuscript LibrarySeeley G. Mudd Manuscript Library65 Olden StreetPrinceton, NJ 08540, USA
- Storage Note:
- Mudd Manuscript Library (scamudd): Box 1-42
- Other Finding Aids
Full text searching of this collection's archived website is available through the Archive-It interface.
- Subject Terms:
- Universities and colleges -- United States -- Admission.
- Genre Terms:
- Correspondence
Examinations.
Minutes.
Press releases.
Reports.
Slides (photographs).
Web sites. - Names:
- Princeton University
Princeton University Administration.