Representatives from Harvard will attend a conference of 35 universities which will discuss a possible student exchange program with the People's Republic of China.

The conference, to be held in Washington, D.C. later this month, is being sponsored by the National Academy of Sciences, and will "probe the views of the academic community and determine the level of their interest in an exchange," Ann Keatley, a White House science analyst, said yesterday.

Mostly Grads

Though no dates have been set, Keatly said that the first Chinese students may arrive in the United States this fall.

Mary Bullock, director of the academy Committee on Scholarly Communications with the People's Republic, said yesterday that the students coming to the U.S. will enroll mainly in graduate level science programs, while the U.S. exchange students will probably study Chinese language and culture.

No Ties to Dimplomacy

Although the meeting will convene on behalf of the U.S. government, the exchange is not contingent on the establishment of diplomatic relations with China.

"The institutions which were invited to the conference represent a cross-section of American universities, "Bullock said; the list includes Oberlin, Stanford, and Iowa State.

Roy M. Hofheinz, professor of Government, has been involved with the White House advisors planning the exchange. Hofheinz said yesterday he could not predict whether any Harvard students will participate in the program.

"We're still in the process of drawing up guidelines for the exchange, nowhere near making the actual selections," he said.