Tuition had stayed steady at $400 a year since the late 1920s until the 1947-48 school year. But that year, it rose to $525 a year. And the following year stood at $600. By the end of the decade it had doubled. Tuition would never stay steady so long again.
The G.I. Bill had helped veterans pay for tuition, books and living expenses, with three-quarters of the University on financial aid at the peak of the veteran deluge.
But, as soon as civilians took over again, that proportion fell. In the fall of 1947, less than 10 percent of first-years at the College were on aid.
Given rising tuition and recent inflation, which had devalued the scholarship fund, Dean of the College Wilbur J. Bender said that devoting more money to financial aid should be given "highest priority."
He also urged expanding the student loan program, following successful experiments at Yale and M.I.T.
The geographical distribution of Harvard's students was practically unchanged for the Class of 1951 compared to five years earlier. But for the first time, the admissions office said it was looking a more geographically-diverse crowd. The Crimson Key society followed the lead by organizing special cross-country trips to promote Harvard at west-coast high schools.
The College was far from settling into the new, more democratic standard of the end of the century. But the Class of 1951 represented a start. That year, for example, 66 new high schools were represented among members of the Class.
In spring 1951, the College replaced maids with student porters. Maids formerly had made students' beds and cleaned rooms six days a week. Now, following M.I.T.'s lead, the College would hire students to do the work in return for reduced room rents.
By the time war and demographic change would seriously disrupt routine at Harvard College, the Class of 1951 had graduated.
Their time at the College represented an isolated four-year stretch of peace and quiet and football riots. It also was the point of departure for changes that would redefine what normal would mean at Harvard.