After a brief discussion of the position the Technion, Israel's institute of Technology and its only engineering school, occupies in the country and of Israeli high schools and the matriculation examination, this paper focuses on the successful and unsuccessful applicants to the Technion in the academic years 1967/68 and 1968/69. It discusses the differences in (1) grades on the matriculation certificate as well as the entrance exam, (2) place of birth, (3) ethnic origin, (4) socio-economic background, and (5) educational background. The successful applicant is generally a top student academically, from a small, middle-class family of Eastern European origin. (AF)