Of the 97 non-sectarian colleges and universities in the State of New York 68 still ask for information in their application for admission blanks as to the applicant’s race, religion, color, ancestry or national origin, it was revealed today in a survey of college application blanks made public by the American Jewish Congress.
Discrimination by educational institutions has been made illegal by New York’s Quinn-Olliffe law which went into effect July 1. For that reason, the A.J.C. will report the State Department of Education, which will administer the Quinn-Olliffe law, to rule such questions illegal.
The survey also revealed that 55 percent of the application blanks request a photograph of the applicant, 19 percent want to know the maiden name of the applicant’s mother or wife, 12 percent want to know the applicant’s religion and 10 percent request information as to his nationality and nine percent as to his parents’ nationality. In addition 62 percent of the institutions are interested in the applicant’s birthplace and 35 percent also want to know where his parents were born.
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