{"id":271518,"date":"2025-08-08T12:54:44","date_gmt":"2025-08-08T16:54:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/?post_type=short-read&p=271518"},"modified":"2026-02-12T12:39:22","modified_gmt":"2026-02-12T17:39:22","slug":"a-look-at-womens-colleges-in-the-us","status":"publish","type":"short-read","link":"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2025\/08\/08\/a-look-at-womens-colleges-in-the-us\/","title":{"rendered":"A look at women\u2019s colleges in the U.S."},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Seniors
Seniors walk out during the 2015 commencement ceremony at Sweet Briar College in Virginia. The college nearly closed that summer following financial difficulties. (Jabin Botsford\/The Washington Post via Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The number of women\u2019s colleges in the United States has declined since the mid-20th century, a result of many becoming coeducational, merging with other institutions or simply closing their doors. While there were once over 200 women\u2019s colleges<\/a> in the U.S., there were just 31 as of fall 2022, according to the National Center for Education Statistics<\/a> (NCES).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This trend isn\u2019t limited to women\u2019s colleges: An increasing number of colleges and universities have closed in the last decade<\/a>. But falling enrollment at women\u2019s colleges, even as more women than men<\/a> are now college graduates, has renewed questions<\/a> about the value of these institutions and who should be allowed to attend<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are answers to some key questions about women\u2019s colleges, including how they admit students and how enrollment has changed in recent years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How we did this<\/summary>\n

As the number of women\u2019s colleges in the United States continues to decline, Pew Research Center conducted this analysis to explore the characteristics of these colleges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We primarily used data from the National Center of Education Statistics (NCES), but this analysis also includes data from the Women\u2019s College Coalition (WCC) and other sources. Links to each source are available in the text.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Women\u2019s colleges are also sometimes referred to as \u201chistorically women\u2019s colleges.\u201d This analysis uses the term \u201cwomen\u2019s colleges,\u201d following the lead of NCES.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

NCES\u2019s count of women\u2019s colleges is primarily based on membership in the WCC, as of 2023. NCES includes only institutions that remained open and accredited as of fall 2022. It excludes any women\u2019s colleges that report enrollment jointly with another coeducational institution or coordinate men\u2019s college.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To track which women\u2019s colleges closed between 1998 and 2022, we first noted which colleges were included on the 1998 NCES list of women\u2019s colleges but were absent from the 2022 list. We then checked these names against a database of college closures since 2008 created by The Hechinger Report<\/a>. We also cross-checked these closures and tracked which women\u2019s colleges became coeducational or merged with other institutions based on news articles and information from school websites.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(NCES also categorized Carlow College, Marymount College, Marymount Manhattan College and Mississippi University For Women as women\u2019s colleges in 1998 but not 2022. But since additional research suggests these institutions became coed before 1998, they were categorized separately in our analysis.)<\/p>\n<\/details>\n\n\n\n

What are women\u2019s colleges?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

There is no single definition of a women\u2019s college, but most are institutes of higher education founded with a mission of educating women.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At many women\u2019s colleges, current students primarily \u2013 though often not exclusively \u2013 identify as women. Some women\u2019s colleges also offer specific coed programs or degrees. The list of women\u2019s colleges used in this analysis comes from NCES. These records are primarily based on members of the Women\u2019s College Coalition<\/a> (WCC), an advocacy group that raises awareness of these institutions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Women\u2019s colleges in the U.S. date back to the mid-19th century, a time when women were not able to access many of the same educational institutions as men. Today, there are 31 women\u2019s colleges in the U.S., two of which are also historically Black colleges or universities<\/a> (HBCUs).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many women\u2019s colleges were founded with religious affiliations; at least 12 today retain religious ties, nine of which are Catholic<\/a>. Women\u2019s colleges tend to be private, nonprofit institutions with smaller student bodies. They often serve students who rely on financial aid<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sometimes, women\u2019s colleges are referred to as \u201chistorically women\u2019s colleges\u201d (HWCs). This term may be used to describe institutions that were once women\u2019s colleges but have since become coed, or to be inclusive of transgender and nonbinary students<\/a> who attend. This analysis uses the term \u201cwomen\u2019s colleges,\u201d following the lead of NCES.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Where are women\u2019s colleges located?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
\"A<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Unlike HBCUs, which are highly concentrated in the southern U.S., women\u2019s colleges are somewhat more spread out across the country. Massachusetts has five women\u2019s colleges, the most of any state. Georgia has four, including one historically Black women\u2019s college (Spelman College). The other historically Black women\u2019s college,\u00a0Bennett College, is in North Carolina.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Related: <\/em><\/strong>A look at historically Black colleges and universities in the U.S.<\/em><\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

How do admissions work at women\u2019s colleges?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Admissions policies at women\u2019s colleges differ depending on whether the institution is private or public.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nearly all women\u2019s colleges are private and can legally restrict admissions based on gender. Some private women\u2019s colleges have allowed men to enroll in graduate or part-time programs, while still limiting their full-time undergraduate programs to women.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Texas Woman\u2019s University (TWU) is the only public women\u2019s college. Public institutions cannot reject qualified men on the basis of gender; the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1982<\/a> that this would violate the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment. However, men made up just 12%<\/a> of TWU\u2019s total student body in fall 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Women\u2019s colleges also have varying policies regarding the admission of transgender students. Some women\u2019s colleges deny admission to trans women<\/a>. Others have expanded their admissions policies to include anyone who identifies as a woman, as nonbinary or as transgender.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How has enrollment in women\u2019s colleges changed over time?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
\"Line<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Most of the current women\u2019s colleges had relatively small student bodies in fall 2022: 94% had fewer than 5,000 undergraduate and graduate students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since 1998, there has been a 40% decline in enrollment at women\u2019s colleges, from about 112,500 students to about 67,300 by 2022. By comparison, enrollment at all colleges and at all private, nonprofit colleges has risen<\/em> over this time span (by 28% and 37%, respectively).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

More recently, overall college enrollment has declined, falling 10% between 2012 and 2022. The drop in enrollment at women\u2019s colleges was even steeper \u2013 18% over the same period.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Not all women\u2019s colleges have felt this drop in enrollment equally, and some schools have even seen an increase in enrollment and applications<\/a>. However, the overall decline coincides with the dissolution of many women\u2019s colleges. Between 1998 and 2022, the status of about half of the nation\u2019s existing women\u2019s colleges changed:<\/p>\n\n\n\n