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Women's colleges in
higher education Tertiary education (higher education, or post-secondary education) is the educational level following the completion of secondary education. The World Bank defines tertiary education as including universities, colleges, and vocational schools ...
are undergraduate,
bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...
-granting institutions, often liberal arts colleges, whose student populations are composed exclusively or almost exclusively of
women A woman is an adult female human. Before adulthood, a female child or adolescent is referred to as a girl. Typically, women are of the female sex and inherit a pair of X chromosomes, one from each parent, and women with functional u ...
. Some women's colleges admit male students to their
graduate school Postgraduate education, graduate education, or graduate school consists of academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications usually pursued by post-secondary students who have earned an undergraduate (bachel ...
s or in smaller numbers to undergraduate programs, but all serve a primarily female student body.


Distinction from finishing school

A women's college offers an academic curriculum exclusively or primarily, while a girls' or women's finishing school (sometimes called a charm school) focuses on social graces such as deportment, etiquette, and entertaining; academics if offered are secondary. The term '' finishing school'' has sometimes been used or misused to describe certain women's colleges. Some of these colleges may have started as finishing schools but transformed themselves into rigorous liberal arts academic institutions, as for instance the now defunct Finch College. Likewise the secondary school Miss Porter's School was founded as Miss Porter's Finishing School for Young Ladies in 1843; now it emphasizes an academic curriculum. A women's college that had never described itself as a finishing school can acquire the misnomer. Throughout the 114-year history of the women's college Sweet Briar, students and alumnae have objected to calling it a finishing school. Nonetheless the finishing school characterization persisted, and may have contributed to declining enrollment, financial straits, and the school's near closure in 2015.


Declining number

The continuing relevance of women's colleges has been questioned. While during the 1960s there were 240 women's colleges in the U.S., only about 40 remain as of 2015. In the words of a teacher at Radcliffe (a women's college that merged with Harvard): " women’s colleges become unnecessary, if women’s colleges become irrelevant, then that’s a sign of our omen'ssuccess."


Around the world


Africa

;Somaliland
Barwaaqo University
Baliga Cas (estd. 2017) ;Sudan * Ahfad University for Women


Asia

* Asian University for Women, Chittagong,
Bangladesh Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...
(estd. 2008) * Bethune College, the first women's college in
South Asia South Asia is the southern Subregion#Asia, subregion of Asia that is defined in both geographical and Ethnicity, ethnic-Culture, cultural terms. South Asia, with a population of 2.04 billion, contains a quarter (25%) of the world's populatio ...
(estd. 1879) * Indraprastha College for Women,
Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, but spread chiefly to the west, or beyond its Bank (geography ...
(estd. 1924) * Jinnah University for Women,
Karachi Karachi is the capital city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Sindh, Pakistan. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, largest city in Pakistan and 12th List of largest cities, largest in the world, with a popul ...
,
Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...
(estd. 1998) * Keisen University in Japan (estd. 1988) * Lady Irwin College,
New Delhi New Delhi (; ) is the Capital city, capital of India and a part of the Delhi, National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the Government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Parliament ...
(estd. 1932) * Lahore College for Women University in
Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...
(estd. 1922) * Miranda House,
New Delhi New Delhi (; ) is the Capital city, capital of India and a part of the Delhi, National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the Government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Parliament ...
(estd. 1948) * Women's College, Aligarh,
India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
(estd. 1906)


Philippines

* Assumption College San Lorenzo, Makati City (estd. 1959) * Miriam College in Quezon City (estd. 1926) * Philippine Women's University, the first women's university in the Philippines and Asia (estd. 1919) * St. Paul University Manila (estd. 1912) * St. Scholastica's College Manila (estd. 1906)


South Korea

* Duksung Women's University in Seoul, South Korea. (estd. 1920) * Dongduk Women's University in Seoul, South Korea. (estd. 1950) *
Ewha Womans University Ewha Womans University () is a private women's research university in Seoul, South Korea. It was originally founded as Ewha Haktang on May 31, 1886, by missionary Mary F. Scranton. Currently, Ewha Womans University is one of the world's largest f ...
in Seoul, South Korea. (estd. 1886) * Seoul Women's University in Seoul, South Korea (estd. 1961) * Sookmyung Women's University in Seoul, South Korea (estd. 1906) * Sungshin Women's University in Seoul, South Korea. (estd. 1936)


Canada

Brescia University College was Canada's only university-level women's educational institution until it merged with Western University in 2024. Mount Saint Vincent University in
Halifax, Nova Scotia Halifax is the capital and most populous municipality of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the most populous municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of 2024, it is estimated that the population of the H ...
was originally founded as a women's college in 1875, but became co-educational in 1967.


Middle East

;Kingdom of Bahrain * Royal University for Women ;United Arab Emirates * Dubai Women's College ;Kuwait
Box Hill College Kuwait

College for Women, a separate faculty at Kuwait University
;Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Most major universities in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia are composed of two branches: a women-only branch and a similar male-only branch. This includes the following universities:
King Saud University

Al-Imam University

King Abdulaziz University

King Faisal University

Prince Sultan University
The following are female-only institutions: * Effat University
Princess Noura University
;Iran * Alzahra University, Tehran


United Kingdom

Mary Astell advocated the idea that women were just as rational as men, and just as deserving of education. First published in 1694, her ''Serious Proposal to the Ladies for the Advancement of their True and Greatest Interest'' presents a plan for an all-female college where women could pursue a life of the mind. The first college to partially realise Astell's plan was Whitelands College, a women's teacher training college opened in 1841 by the
Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the State religion#State churches, established List of Christian denominations, Christian church in England and the Crown Dependencies. It is the mother church of the Anglicanism, Anglican Christian tradition, ...
's National Society and since 2004 part of the University of Roehampton. Whitelands was followed by two colleges in London, Queen's College in 1848 and Bedford College in 1849. Queen's College developed into a girls' public school and Bedford College became part of the
University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a collegiate university, federal Public university, public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The ...
before merging with another women's college. The first of the Cambridge women's colleges, Girton, which opened in 1869 initially in
Hitchin Hitchin () is a market town in the North Hertfordshire Districts of England, district of Hertfordshire, England. The town dates from at least the 7th century. It lies in the valley of the River Hiz at the north-eastern end of the Chiltern Hills ...
, claims to be the first residential college in Britain to offer degree level education to women. Somerville and Lady Margaret Hall in Oxford opened in 1879. Existing women's colleges: *
Murray Edwards College, Cambridge Murray Edwards College is a women-only constituent college of the University of Cambridge. It was founded in 1954 as New Hall and renamed in 2008. The name honours a gift of £30 million by alumna Ros Edwards and her husband Steve, and the firs ...
(established 1954, formerly New Hall) * Newnham College, Cambridge (established 1871) Former women's colleges:


United States


Early history

Women's colleges in the
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
were a product of the increasingly popular private girls' secondary schools of the early- to mid-19th century, called "academies" or "seminaries." According to Irene Harwarth, et al., "women's colleges were founded during the mid- and late-19th century in response to a need for advanced education for women at a time when they were not admitted to most institutions of higher education." While there were a few
coeducational Mixed-sex education, also known as mixed-gender education, co-education, or coeducation (abbreviated to co-ed or coed), is a system of education where males and females are educated together. Whereas single-sex education was more common up to ...
colleges (such as
Oberlin College Oberlin College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college and conservatory of music in Oberlin, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1833, it is the oldest Mixed-sex education, coeducational lib ...
founded in 1833, Lawrence University in 1847,
Antioch College Antioch College is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Yellow Springs, Ohio, United States. It was founded in 1850 by the Christian Connection and began operating in 1852 as a non-secta ...
in 1853, and
Bates College Bates College () is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Lewiston, Maine. Anchored by the Historic Quad, the campus of Bates totals with a small urban campus which includes 33 Victorian ...
in 1855), most colleges and universities of high standing at that time were exclusively for men. Critics of the girls’ seminaries were roughly divided into two groups. The reform group, including Emma Willard, felt seminaries required reform through “strengthening teaching of the core academic subjects.” Others felt seminaries were insufficient, suggesting “a more durable institution--a women’s college--be founded, among them, Catharine E. Beecher. In her ''True Remedy for the Wrongs of Women'' (1851), Beecher points out how “seminaries could not offer sufficient, permanent endowments, buildings, and libraries; a corporation whose duty it is to perpetuate the institution on a given plan.” Another notable figure was Mary Lyon (1797-1849), founder of
Mount Holyoke College Mount Holyoke College is a Private college, private Women's colleges in the United States, women's Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in South Hadley, Massachusetts, United States. It is the oldest member of the h ...
, whose contemporaries included Sarah Pierce ( Litchfield Female Academy, 1792); Catharine Beecher ( Hartford Female Seminary, 1823); Zilpah P. Grant Banister ( Ipswich Female Seminary, 1828); George Washington Doane (St. Mary's Hall, 1837 now called Doane Academy). Prior to founding Mount Holyoke, Lyon contributed to the development of both Hartford Female Seminary and Ipswich Female Seminary. She was also involved in the creation of ''Wheaton Female Seminary'' (now Wheaton College, Massachusetts) in 1834.


Women's College Coalition

The Women's College Coalition is an association of women's colleges and universities (with some observers/participants from the single-sex secondary/
high school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., ...
s) that are either two- and four-year, both public and private, religiously-affiliated and secular. It was founded in 1972, at a time in which the " Civil Rights Movement", the "
Women's Rights Movement Women's rights are the rights and Entitlement (fair division), entitlements claimed for women and girls worldwide. They formed the basis for the women's rights movement in the 19th century and the feminist movements during the 20th and 21st c ...
", and Title IX, as well as demographic and technological changes in the 1960s brought about rapid and complex social and economic change in the
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
. These societal changes put increasing pressure of perceived "unpopularity" and "old fashioned" perceptions and opinions placing the concept of " single-sex education" for both women and men on the most drastic downward spiral in its history. Additionally, the landscape of education dramatically changed as many previously all-male high schools (both private/independent and public) along with the colleges, many of which were either forced by official actions or declining attendance figures to become coeducational, thereby offering women many more educational options. At the same time with the similar changes forced on women's institutions, both private and public secondary schools along with the colleges/universities, forced a number of the larger number of girls schools to also coeducate. By the late 1970s, women's enrollment in college exceeded the men's and, in the 2020s, women make up the majority of undergraduates (57% nationally) on college/university campuses. Women earn better college grades than men do, and are more likely than men to complete college. During the past several decades, the Women's College Coalition engaged in research about the benefits of a women's high school and/or college education in the 21st century. Drawing upon the findings of research conducted by the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) and Hardwick-Day on levels of satisfaction among students and alumnae at women's colleges and coeducational institutions, as well as the Association of American Colleges and Universities, NAICU and others, the Coalition makes the case for women's education and women's high schools and colleges to prospective students, families, policy and opinion makers, the media, employers and the general public.


Women's colleges and universities in North America

* Agnes Scott College * Alverno College *
Barnard College Barnard College is a Private college, private Women's colleges in the United States, women's Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college affiliated with Columbia University in New York City. It was founded in 1889 by a grou ...
* Bay Path University * Bennett College for Women * Brenau University * Brescia University College * Bryn Mawr College * Cedar Crest College * College of Saint Benedict * Cottey College * Douglass Residential College of
Rutgers University Rutgers University ( ), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a Public university, public land-grant research university consisting of three campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's C ...
, (the State University of New Jersey) *
Hollins University Hollins University is a private university in Hollins, Virginia, United States. Founded in 1842 as Valley Union Seminary in the historical settlement of Botetourt Springs, Virginia, Botetourt Springs, it is Timeline of women's colleges in the Un ...
* Mary Baldwin University * Meredith College * Moore College of Art and Design *
Mount Holyoke College Mount Holyoke College is a Private college, private Women's colleges in the United States, women's Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in South Hadley, Massachusetts, United States. It is the oldest member of the h ...
* Mount Mary University * Mount St. Mary's College * Notre Dame of Maryland University, (formerly College of Notre Dame of Maryland) * St. Catherine University * Saint Mary's College (Indiana) * Salem College * Scripps College * Simmons University *
Smith College Smith College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts Women's colleges in the United States, women's college in Northampton, Massachusetts, United States. It was chartered in 1871 by Sophia Smit ...
*
Spelman College Spelman College is a Private college, private, Historically black colleges and universities, historically black, Women's colleges in the United States, women's Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Atlanta, Georgia ...
*
Stephens College Stephens College is a Private college, private Women's colleges in the United States, women's college in Columbia, Missouri, United States. It is Timeline of women's colleges in the United States#First and oldest, the second-oldest women's educa ...
*
Sweet Briar College Sweet Briar College is a Private college, private Women's colleges in the United States, women's liberal arts college in Sweet Briar, Amherst County, Virginia, Amherst County, Virginia. It was established in 1901 by Indiana Fletcher Williams in ...
* Trinity Washington University * Ursuline College *
Wellesley College Wellesley College is a Private university, private Women's colleges in the United States, historically women's Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Wellesley, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1870 by Henr ...
*
Wesleyan College Wesleyan College is a Private university, private, Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts Women's Colleges in the Southern United States, women's college in Macon, Georgia, United States. Founded in 1836, Wesleyan was the fi ...
* Wheaton College (Massachusetts) * The Women's College of the University of Denver


See also

*
Higher education in the United States In the United States, higher education is an optional stage of formal learning following secondary education. It is also referred to as post-secondary education, third-stage, third-level, or tertiary education. It covers stages 5 to 8 on the ...
* History of higher education in the United States *
Female education Female education is a catch-all term for a complex set of issues and debates surrounding education (primary education, secondary education, tertiary education, and health education in particular) for girls and women. It is frequently called girls ...
* Men's college * Men's colleges in the United States *
Mixed-sex education Mixed-sex education, also known as mixed-gender education, co-education, or coeducation (abbreviated to co-ed or coed), is a system of education where males and females are educated together. Whereas single-sex education was more common up to t ...
* Single-sex education


References


Further reading

* Faragher, John Mack, and Florence Howe, eds. ''Women and higher education in American history: essays from the Mount Holyoke College Sesquicentennial'' (1988
online
* Horowitz, Helen Lefkowitz (1993) 984 ''Alma Mater: Design and Experience in the Women's Colleges from Their Nineteenth-Century Beginnings to the 1930s'' (Alfred A. Knopf, NY (1984); University of Massachusetts Press.) ISBN 0585083665. * MacDonald, Sara Z. ''University Women - A History of Women and Higher Education in Canada'' (McGill-Queen's University Press. 2021) * Rowold, Katharina. ''The Educated Woman: Minds, Bodies, and Women's Higher Education in Britain, Germany, and Spain, 1865-1914'' (Routledge, 2009). * World Bank Task Force on Higher Education and Society. ''Higher Education in Developing Countries: Peril and Promise'' (World Bank. 2000)


External links

*
Hands off women's colleges, say Oxbridge students
' *

' - Deepti Priya Mehrotra, boloji.com *

' - Jaya Indiresan, ''The Hindu Business Line'' *

' * ttp://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/st.-mary-of-the-woods-college-1835/ US News&World Report Rankings {{School types
College A college (Latin: ''collegium'') may be a tertiary educational institution (sometimes awarding degrees), part of a collegiate university, an institution offering vocational education, a further education institution, or a secondary sc ...