Summer School to Reverse Admission Policy If Applications Increase Again

Constantly increasing enrollment will soon force the Harvard Summer School to reject applicants for the first time since it was founded in 1871. Previously, the only requirement for admission has been graduation from an accredited secondary school, and students have been able to register for courses without any advance notice.

Beginning this year, however, applicants must submit their application forms to the dean of their own college. The dean will indicate whether or not his college will give the student credit in a degree program and will send the forms, together with comments on the student's background and ability, to Harvard.

The Summer School reserves the right to decide on admitting the candidate, although students with unsatisfactory records will not necessarily be rejected. Whether the School will be forced to decide this year "who can gain the most from the opportunity to study at Harvard in the summer" will depend on the number of applicants, Thomas E. Crooks, director of the summer session, said.

Enrollment Grows

Last year over 400 more students were accepted than in 1960, and a similar increase this year might seriously overburden some facilities, such as biology labs. Total enrollment has jumped from only 2877 in 1957 to a whopping 4122 in 1960 and 4555 in 1961. At present 5000 seems a reasonable limit in terms of size and quality of the student body.

But Crooks pointed out that the extent to which the Summer School could expand has not been carefully studies and dorm space in the Harvard Houses is still available. One chief concern, Crooks said, is whether Lamont could accommodate many more students. Other libraries, "although not air-conditioned like Lamont," could absorb the extra scholars, however.

If the School must reject some applicants, Crooks said. Harvard and Radcliffe students will have a "natural preference," since they register early and are not required to file an application form. Otherwise the School will be "forced to give priority," to those students who use the credit from summer work to complete a regular degree program.

This priority illustrates the "subtle but strong change" that has gradually evolved in the Summer School since the 1930's. At that time summer schools were designed primarily for adult education--vacationing teachers and others deprived of educational opportunities in the winter. The trend now is toward complete domination by undergraduates who are degree candidates, and who are not in academic difficulties.

Just as the number of undergraduates has increased (up 126 per cent since 1953), and the percentage of degree candidates (now 56 per cent), so has the percentage of students with satisfactory academic records. Before World War II the majority of Harvard College students at the summer session had unsatisfactory or deficient records; today, two-thirds of those from the College are satisfactory and doing credit work toward degrees.