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The papers document the activities of the Student Volunteer Movement for Foreign Missions and provide valuable information on various aspects of American religious life during the period 1886-1964. Religious conditions on American college and university campuses are documented. Vast files of student volunteer application, information and health examination blanks provide personal data on thousands of prospective missionaries which is of potential interest to genealogists, biographers and historians. The financial records and correspondence provide documentation related to philanthropic support of religious causes in America. The Student Volunteer Movement for Foreign Missions was an organization that sought to recruit college and university students in the United States for missionary service abroad. It also publicized and encouraged the missionary enterprise in general.

The collection includes correspondence, minutes, reports, publications, financial records, and photographs which document the administrative functions of the United Board and antecedent bodies and provides extensive detailed and substantive information about the Protestant colleges and universities in China which were the focus of the Board's activities prior to 1955. The correspondence and writings provide a valuable perspective on life in China and particularly on the political turmoil which characterized this time period. The United Board was established to support and coordinate the activities of Protestant colleges and universities in China. Following the Communist takeover of China, the United Board focused its efforts on educational work in other Asian nations.

Records of the World Student Christian Federation, including reports and publications, correspondence, administrative records, and materials relating to affiliated national student Christian movements and collaborating secular and ecumenical organizations.

This collection contains the official archives of the WSCF through 1925; later official archives were held in Geneva and now comprise RG 46F. Many documents in this collection date from after 1925. The World's Student Christian Federation was created in 1895 to fulfill its founders' vision of an international student Christian movement which could encourage and coordinate the work of existing national student Christian movements, as well as stimulate the formation of unified student movements in countries where they did not exist.

Documentation in this collection provides insight into the changing character of YMCA concerns. Extensive files of correspondence, minutes, and reports document the daily administrative routines of the executive secretary office, policy questions and the development of the Student Division. Topical files contain material on disarmament, work with Black students, preparatory school work, recruiting and training efforts, the Universal Day of Prayer and voluntary study. Documentation on regional and local association activities, pamphlet and periodical publications and photographs are also included. The Student Department of the YMCA, established in 1877, was involved in religious work among college and university students. Its headquarters were located in New York, with member associations on campuses throughout the United States.