This history focuses on three main themes to examine the selective function of American college admission policies between 1870 and 1970: (1) admission policies in the context of social and institutional change; (2) the ability of higher education institutions to absorb new constituencies; and (3) the concept of selective admission, or policies that seek out desirable social and academic traits in applicants. The policies are traced at the University of Michigan, Columbia University, the University of Chicago, and the City University of New York, since efforts at these institutions set the pace for the rest of the nation. (MSE)