As you may or may not know, there are a number of different types of colleges and universities out there. For instance, some students may seek to apply to a historically black college or university (such as Morehouse College), a hispanic-serving institution, a tribal college or university, or a school with a specific religious affiliation. Today, however, we turn our gaze to women’s colleges.
There are a number of reasons why a student may consider applying to a women’s college, first and foremost of which is the fact that she is a woman (or perhaps a transgender student – see, for instance, “When Women Become Men at Wellesley” and “Where Do Their Loyalties Lie?“). Secondly, many have commented that they are motivated to apply to a women’s college in order to be inspired by powerful women. For example, from Barnard College‘s website: “Through it all, our students have the great fortune to be surrounded by women mentors and role models—in the faculty, throughout the College leadership, and among our outstanding alumnae who are an endless source of inspiration.” Others believe that they would be more likely to thrive at an institution where gender bias is far less of an issue. Also of note, from the Women’s College Coalition website, is that women’s colleges “have educated a higher percentage of low-income, racially diverse and first-generation students than traditional co-ed colleges and universities, public or private, for more than a decade.”
Furthermore, alumni of women’s colleges have shined a very positive light on their experiences as undergraduates and on life post-graduation. A 2012 report entitled “What Matters in College After College“, for instance, reported that 81% of alumni from women’s colleges believed that their alma mater had been “extremely or very effective” in preparing them for future employment. Furthermore, 72% of respondents reported that they had “benefited very much from a safe campus environment.” Graduates of women’s colleges were also more likely to have completed their undergraduate studies in four years or less (87% at women’s colleges versus 79% at liberal arts colleges versus 54% at flagship public universities), and were nearly twice as likely to go on to complete a graduate degree as their counterparts at public universities (51% versus 27%). A few other things you should know about if you’re considering applying to a women’s college?
The Women’s College Coalition (WCC) is an academic association “dedicated to gender equity in academia. Member colleges from the U.S. and Canada participate in collaborative research initiatives, admissions events and academic advocacy for women.”
Many women’s colleges offer undergraduate programs for women but graduate programs for both women and men.
The Seven Sisters Colleges are considered the original women’s Ivies, although only five of them remain women’s college today (Mount Holyoke, Wellesley College, Smith College, Bryn Mawr College and Barnard College – Vassar went co-ed in 1969 and Radcliffe College merged with Harvard University in 1999). To learn more about the Seven Sisters Colleges, click here.
Finally, of course, is the list of women’s college. Read on!
Colleges With Women’s Undergraduate Programs
Agnes Scott College – Georgia
Alverno College – Wisconsin
Barnard College – New York
Bay Path University – Massachusetts
Bennett College – North Carolina
Brenau University – Campuses in Georgia and Florida
Bryn Mawr College – Pennsylvania
Cedar Crest College – Pennsylvania
College of Saint Benedict – Minnesota
College of Saint Mary – Nebraska
Colorado Women’s College – Colorado
Columbia College – South Carolina
Converse College – South Carolina
Cottey College – Missouri
Douglass Residential College – New Jersey
Hollins University – Virginia
Judson College – Alabama
Mary Baldwin College – Virginia
Meredith College – North Carolina
Midway University – Kentucky
Mills College – California
Moore College of Art & Design – Pennsylvania
Mount Holyoke College – Massachusetts
Mount Mary University – Wisconsin
Notre Dame of Maryland University – Maryland
Russell Sage College – New York
Saint Mary’s College – Indiana
Salem College – North Carolina
Scripps College – California
Simmons College – Massachusetts
Smith College – Massachusetts
Spelman College – Georgia
St. Catherine University – Minnesota
Stephens College – Missouri
Sweet Briar College – Virginia
Trinity Washington University – Washington D.C.
University of Saint Joseph – Connecticut
Wellesley College – Massachusetts
Wesleyan College – Georgia