ORSORT was authorized and financed by the U.S. government and founded in 1950 by Admiral Hyman G. Rickover and Alvin Weinberg.
Funding ended and the school was closed in 1965, shortly after authorization was extended to select U.S. universities to develop their own Nuclear Engineering curricula.
The school was made known first nationally and eventually worldwide to U.S. enterprises and to U.S. allies involved in the development of peaceful uses of atomic energy, and who were interested in educating and training designated scientific and engineering personnel at its unique venue.
ORSORT turned out up to 100 graduates a year, many of whom became leaders in the nuclear industry, such as a former Secretary of Energy, James D. Watkins.
In addition to 19 US students from the Atomic Energy Commission, the Oak Ridge National Laboratory and US utilities, the last graduating class of 1965 included engineering and scientific personnel sponsored by their governments in Australia, India, Israel, Japan, Netherlands, Pakistan, Philippines and South Africa.