This paper presents the history of the open admissions policy at The City University of New York (CUNY). Discussed are: (1) the founding of the University and its early admission policies; (2) the demand for and implementation of the open admission policy, which means a probable freshman class of 36,000 in the fall of 1971, with an increase of 16,000 in 1 year; (3) budgetary considerations; (4) the political and social context within which the open admissions policy was formulated; (5) the demand for and provision of remedial and other supportive services for an estimated 10,000 students; (6) the studies conducted to estimate the number of students who would require remedial help; (7) the systematic evaluation of the open admissions program; (8) the need to establish a closer relationship with the public schools to place the problem of remediation where it belongs; and (9) the necessity of maintaining CUNY's academic standards. (AF)