In this issue on admissions in colleges and universities, the history of the admissions process and trends are outlined, and the current situation of declining enrollments reviewed. The place of testing is discussed briefly, and other factors in selection listed: student background (educational, extracurricular, and ethnic), and student personality and goals. Questions of bias in testing are outlined, and the discovery and use of new criteria and new tests discussed. Research on scientific creativity--problem-solving ability--suggests that traditional multiple-choice items on the Graduate Record Examination, for example, should be supplemented with items such as free-response questions. Research into medical diagnostic competence is being used to develop new measures for medical school admissions, and the Educational Testing Service is currently developing a test for business schools that would recognize a student's ability to deal with people. A national survey is cited to show that even today standardized tests are not the single most important criterion for college admission, and a summary of the selection factors used in public, private, competitive, and noncompetitive colleges is presented. (MSE)