Admissions Office Records

Under Alan Bright, registrar from 1918 to 1940, the recruiting of students, handling of admissions, and recording were coordinated functions. Assessing credentials of prospective students was the responsibility of Philip S. Barto from 1922 to 1939. In 1940, John M. Daniels was named Chairman (later Director) of the Committee on Undergraduate Admissions, which was responsible for assessing credentials as well as for recruiting students. The Committee reported to the newly created Division of Student Personnel and Welfare (renamed the Division of Students Affairs in 1960).

Daniels instituted a number of changes. Beginning in 1955, all candidates were required to take the SAT Test of the College Entrance Examination Board. In 1962, the school adopted an early decision plan by which outstanding candidates were informed of their Fall admissions in December rather than in Spring.

The role of alumni in the recruitment process was reinforced. From an early period alumni had supported the Committee on Admissions by encouraging students to apply and conducting preliminary interviews with prospective students. In 1962 a new office of Admissions Counseling (later merged with the Admissions Office) was established, whose main function was to organize the Carnegie Admissions Council (now Carnegie Mellon Admissions Council, or CMAC), a formal network of alumni who acted as admissions counselor across the United States on behalf of Carnegie Tech.

Daniels was followed as Director of Admissions by Kenneth J. Wenger (1963-1970) and Robert W. Siekman (1970-1972). In 1968, the Admissions Office became administered by the Office of the Vice President for Administration and Planning.

William F. Elliott became director of admissions in 1972. The office of Vice Provost (later Vice President) of Enrollment was established for him in 1973 to help reverse a trend of stagnating enrollment. The office was responsible for coordinating admissions, registrations, financial aid, and career planning.

Elliott developed a yearly “Marketing Action Plan” to accomplish President Cyert’s aim to move from a regional to a national admissions base. One of Elliott’s first actions was to bring prospective students to the University for a “Sleeping Bag Weekend” to spend a night on campus and sit in on classes, an initiative which proved hugely popular. Admissions staff conducted studies on factors determining college choice, including finances. This led to the production of a financial aid brochure in the mid-1970s and the development of an “Early Financial Aid/Need Analysis” program that used information supplied by parents and provided applicants with estimates of what financial aid they could expect. The Admissions Office also developed a series of consistently branded material which was sent to high school counselors, parents and students, including brochures targeting minorities.

Geographical distribution of the student body shifted from 60% Pennsylvanian in 1972 to 15% in 2008, and the graduate percentage increased. The number of applications increased dramatically, from 3,500 in 1970 to 25,000 in 2008, allowing Carnegie Mellon to become one of the country's most selective universities.

When William Elliott retired in 2008, the Admissions Office started reporting directly to the Provost and Executive Vice President. As of 2013, the Admission Office, located in Warner Hall, is headed by Michael A. Steidel, who has been Director of Admissions since 1986.

For a history of admissions under the Cyert presidency, see Schaefer, Ludwig F. Evolution of a National Research University: 1965-1990. Pittsburgh: Carnegie Mellon University Press, 1992, p.378-384.