A descriptive analysis is provided of institutional activity and characteristics of 20 four-year institutions that converted to a two-year status during the last 25 years. Institutions included in this study were identified from the annual issues, 1948-49 through 1972-73, of the "Educational Directory, Part 3." The information is profiled as to the following characteristics: (1) institutional control, (2) student body, (3) enrollment category, (4) academic calendar, and (5) regional accreditation. Following a review of pertinent literature, survey data related to these five points are discussed and tabulated. It was found that: (1) as to type of control, slightly over 50% (11 of the 20) of the transformed institutions were operated under church-related auspices, two were public and seven were under independent sponsorship; (2) as to type of student body, 3 out of 4 institutions involved in a downward shift had a coeducational student body enrolled on their campus; (3) data related to enrollment category show that 13 of the institutions had fewer than 300 students and four out of five has less than 500 enrolled; (4) in relation to academic calendar, 13 of 18 institutions that reported such data operated on the semester calendar system at the time of their academic transformation; and (5) using the boundaries of the six regional accrediting associations, the geographic distribution of the affected institutions revealed that the North Central and Northwest accrediting areas were most involved. The overall results show that less than one institution (0.8) annually sought an academic shortening during the period of the survey. (DB)