In this description of all 1,144 4-year accredited institutions of higher education having undergraduates, the institutional features of classifying characteristics, admissions selectivity, resources, and the size and shape of the financial aid program are compared. Classifying characteristics consisted of: size of enrollment, source of control (public or private), type and level of instruction (university or liberal arts college), and sex composition. Institutional characteristics date either from the academic year 1962-63 or 1963-64. The source used for measuring enrollment was the Office of Education's 1964-65 "Education Directory, Part III." Information contained in the American Council on Education's (ACE) directory, "American Universities and Colleges, Ninth Edition," was the guide to determining what constituted a separate institution. The ACE directory was also used in measuring the size of the financial aid program, type and level of instruction and source of control. The admissions selectivity rating used was that published in the "Comparative Guide to American Colleges." The Resource Index score and state per capita income were used to measure resources. Tables illustrate the discussion. (JS)