The College Research Center (CRC), a cooperative educational-research agency, investigated the progress of black students enrolled in liberal arts colleges (traditionally for women only). The study focused on (1) selected characteristics of Negro freshmen entering Member CRC Colleges, and (2) the correlational validity of standard admissions criteria for predicting first year grades. Results showed that Negro freshmen differ from white freshmen in several educationally relevant ways; in socioeconomic background, career orientations, perceived purposes of college, educational plans, attitudes, and in level of performance on standard admissions variables. It was also found that despite such differences, forecasts of freshmen year academic performance are likely to be at least as accurate for black students as for their classmates. Further research is necessary to examine Negro academic performance beyond the freshman level. It was also recommended that each CRC college carefully determine,"...how 'different' it can permit some of its students to be, how many minority students it can take and how much it can assure their success." (Author/LS)