Because the nursing department at Delaware Technical and Community College receives applications from more potential students than it can accommodate, it can no longer accept all applicants. The class which began in September 1975 was selected by a random selection process; this gave rise to numerous objections from rejected students, parents, employers, legislators, and other influential groups. This study was designed to examine this process in terms of its adherence to the college's "open door" philosophy, to review the admission procedures used by other "open door" colleges, and to recommend a process to be adopted by DTCC for admission to the nursing program and to any other program with more applicants than can be accommodated. A questionnaire seeking information about admission policies and public reaction to them was sent to 30 public "open door" colleges offering nursing programs; 22 (73 percent) responded. All possible options for admission methodology were outlined and the pros and cons of each were clearly delineated. The author recommends that DTCC (1) adopt a system of random selection with increased opportunities for reapplicants and an automatic acceptance at a specific point, and (2) begin a dynamic public relations activity to inform the public of the system selected and the rationale upon which it was chosen. Pertinent literature is reviewed and the questionnaire is appended. (Author/DC)