This study examined the state of Korean higher education during the post-war period and shed light on various aspects of its aid program through an analysis of Arthur E. Schneider's recently discovered diary. Schneider, a key advisor to the Minnesota Project, a U.S. aid initiative for higher education in the 1950s, documented his experiences from 1954 to 1961. By digitizing the diary data, this research provides an overview of the excavation process, the diary's structure, and its contents. Furthermore, it analyzes the aspects related to the post-war Korean higher education aid project, revealing important insights. Schneider's diary uncovers significant facets of the post-war Korean higher education aid program, including the contentious debate surrounding exclusive support for Seoul National University, the prevailing government-centered policy climate, and the political dynamics surrounding higher education assistance. As a new historical record pertaining to the post-war Korean higher education aid project, Schneider's diary holds considerable significance as it offers valuable implications for the current challenges faced by Korean higher education, such as the gap between higher education institutions, bureaucratic hurdles, and the strong influence of the United States.