What was the college admissions process like for the Ivy+ Schools prior to the age of the internet(Late 90s)

Applying to College
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Is there any consistent data of the acceptance rates of most top schools from the 60’s to the 90’s? What were the aid packages primarily like? Which schools were need blind, and was there an early decision process that improved your chances? Did any schools require interviews?

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I can answer some of your questions…but why do you want to know? This info is decades old news.

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Because sometimes lost information that was good can be brought back into the good light and because college confidential has had a long history on this question

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  1. College confidential didn’t exist in the 60’s, 70’s, 80’s and part of the 90’s so there is no “history” here.
  2. The Ivy League Schools were all male schools until the early 1970’s. ETA except Cornell which has always been coed. Our extended family who were students there then all say the same thing…there is NO WAY they would be accepted now.
  3. From what they have told me, need based aid was not as generous as now. And they didn’t even know what need blind meant.
  4. No one we knew (including my husband) had an interview.
  5. These colleges attracted mostly wealthy families who could afford to pay the costs which were VERY small compared to now.

I’m sure others will have differing information.

Fact is…college admissions is very different now than it was one or two generations ago.

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Actually, Cornell has been co-ed since it’s founding in 1865.

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That’s the only one. Sorry I omitted that. I edited my post.

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Certainly by the '80’s, some did

The Internet wasn’t in people’s homes until the mid '90’s. And even then, it wasn’t widespread or robust. Some college newspapers, e g. Harvard Crimson, Penn’s DP, has digitized old issues, not all have. And then, as now, they would run admissions stories.

Whether anyone has compiled the data, idk

Maybe @Data10 has that somewhere

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Did Yale have early admissions prior to 1995v

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Yes. HYP started REA at the same time - 1980

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Georgetown and many Ivies had early action when I applied in 92. Don’t remember Early Decision being as much of a thing then.

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I applied early decision to Cornell in the late 1980s.

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I got into Cornell, Early Decision, in the fall of ‘90. I attended a top-tier private school, and there was a lot of pressure to get into a top college. My application was a paper form, and I mailed it in. I was applying for engineering (I am a female, and my grandfather did not believe women should be engineers), but am a TERRIBLE writer, so procrastinated until the very last minute to write my ONE required application essay. Last minute, I ended up writing about a bee that I had found floating in my pool, and my attempt to save its life. When it died, I was very sad. My essay was about why I was sad about this particular bee, when I could swat or spray dozens of other bugs or bees without a thought. I think I tied it in to The Little Prince quote ’ On risqué de pleurer un peu si l’on s’est laisse apprivoiser’. It had nothing to do with engineering. I did not let anyone see my application before I mailed it in. I had a 1290 SAT (590 English, 700 math). I took 2 AP Exams - I got a 5 on AP Physics C(both parts), and 5 on BC Calc, of which I was very proud. I had not won any national competitions (or even entered), participated in any summer programs, or cured cancer. My summers in high school I worked at the bridal shop where my mom was the seamstress, dying shoes and fitting dresses in the hot attic. I remember vividly walking to my mailbox to get my decision letter(I have no idea how I knew it was coming that day). It remains one of the happiest moments of my life when I opened it and found out I got in! My best friend got into Columbia ED and we were so happy to not have to worry about college acceptances for the rest of senior year!
Thank you for the invitation to relive the past… Oh the memories…

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What a wonderful memory! I’m glad I was able to do so. Did Cornell offer merit scholarship back then, and was there a admitted students day?

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Some people have said however that it was not restrctive, when did the other ivies like Brown or dartmouth or the little ivies start offering early decisions binding?

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Then, as now, ivy League universities offered no merit scholarships

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Was it easier to get into early action back then since it was not binding?

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I don’t think that’s true, Cornell still offers the Posse Scholarship full tuition which is not need based

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That’s administered by the Posse Foundation, not Cornell

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I dont think that’s true, here is what it says on it’s website: “The Posse Foundation could not exist without its partner colleges and universities, who provide Posse Scholars with full-tuition scholarships, weekly faculty mentoring, and other support. Posse thanks these prestigious institutions for their investments in the program and their commitment to the success of Posse Scholars.” College & University Partners | The Posse Foundation

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My grandmother graduated from Penn in 1943 with a degree in philosophy. They have a much longer history of admitting women!

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