Context . Muir enrolled at the
University of Wisconsin without any prior formal schooling. Prior to the 20th century, entrance to most American colleges was by examination or by a preparatory course prescribed specifically for that college. Students who could demonstrate their readiness for higher education were able to enter at whatever age was appropriate. Many colleges routinely admitted students as young as fourteen. Some students entered college entirely self-taught, or after having received only informal tutoring. In the late 19th century, as the subject matter of higher education became more diverse, pressure grew to standardize both higher education in general and the transition between secondary and higher education in particular. The first school to make the high school diploma a necessary and sufficient condition of admission was the
University of Michigan in 1870; as high school education was standardized through
accreditation bodies beginning in the 1880s, more colleges and universities followed Michigan's lead. In the first decade of the 20th century, the
Carnegie Foundation adopted the "count" system that the
North Central Association had devised in 1902 to compare different secondary and tertiary curricula. 15 or 16
Carnegie units (corresponding to four years of high school) became a standard requirement for entry into American colleges and universities, and a high school diploma soon became the "
sine qua non" for college entrance". Although many students did reach college before their 18th birthday, they could do so only if their high school
accelerated them to early graduation.
First organized ventures for the
College of the University of Chicago. Beginning in 1937, the
University of Chicago's experimental, interdisciplinary College program admitted students beginning in the sophomore year of high school. Because there were few formal requirements, early entrants in this program were largely self-selecting, and came mostly from nearby schools such as the
University High School. Early entrants were subject to five additional
comprehensive examinations, but otherwise went through the same academic program as high school graduates. Although the University of Chicago eventually abandoned this program, it was adopted by tiny
Shimer College in 1950, and continues there in a modified form to the present day. During
World War II, the government made
academic acceleration a high priority, particularly in high school, in order to ensure recruits were as highly educated as possible. In 1942, the
Educational Policies Commission made a formal recommendation that colleges admit academically skilled high school students after their junior year. Schools including the
University of Illinois and
Ohio State University adopted wartime early entrance policies. The programs adopted in this period, however, faced stiff opposition from high schools, and did not outlast the war.
The Early Admission Program restrained any further large-scale efforts on
gifted education, of which early entrance was considered a part. However, programs continued at a few of the EAP colleges. In 1966,
Simon's Rock opened as the only college in the United States with a student body consisting entirely of early entrants. Simon's Rock was founded by
Elizabeth Blodgett Hall, formerly the headmistress of
Concord Academy, who wanted to create "an institution that would provide learning for students who had begun to think independently." In 1971,
Julian Stanley at
Johns Hopkins University reignited interest in early entrance and in
gifted education generally with his
Study of Mathematically Precocious Youth, in which he worked one-on-one with students entering Johns Hopkins as young as 13. Following the Johns Hopkins example, in 1977 the
University of Washington (UW) inaugurated the first structured early entrance program for students younger than 15. The UW program, known as the
Transition School and Early Entrance Program, has provided a model for many subsequent early entrance programs targeting highly gifted students. Such programs include the all-girl
Program for the Exceptionally Gifted established at
Mary Baldwin University (formerly Mary Baldwin College) in 1985, allowing students to enroll as early as their seventh-grade year, as well as the
Early Entrance Program at
California State University, Los Angeles. In 1978, the
University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) started the first early entrance program in the
People's Republic of China. As a result of this program's success, it was subsequently replicated at 12 additional universities in China. ==List of early entrance programs==