The Trump administration is investigating Smith College for admitting trans women. Could Bryn Mawr be next?
Bryn Mawr College, like Smith, accepts all individuals who identify as women. The Trump administration says that violates federal discrimination laws, but has not yet gone after Bryn Mawr.
President Donald Trump’s administration this week opened an investigation into Smith College, one of the oldest women’s colleges in the country, for admitting transgender women.
Both Bryn Mawr College and Moore College of Art & Design — women’s colleges in the Philadelphia area — also admit trans women, opening up questions about whether they could be among the next targets, though Moore already is weighing whether to go coed.
“The college remains focused on our mission and commitment to academic excellence,” Bryn Mawr said in a statement. “We continue to operate in compliance with all federal laws and regulations.”
Moore did not immediately respond for comment. The U.S. Department of Education also did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Trump campaigned on attacking transgender rights, and his administration has argued that allowing transgender women to participate in women’s sports or educational opportunities amounts to discrimination against women.
The administration last year paused $175 million in federal funding to the University of Pennsylvania, citing the school’s allowing a transgender swimmer to compete on the women’s team. Penn in July struck a deal with the White House, agreeing among other steps to send “personalized” letters of apology to its female athletes who felt aggrieved by transgender swimmer Lia Thomas’ participation on their team and restoring Penn records and honors they would have won if not for Thomas.
» READ MORE: Penn strikes agreement with Trump administration over trans athletes
The 1,370-student Bryn Mawr on its website notes that it accepts all individuals who identify as women, including cisgender and trans women. The school also accepts “intersex people who do not identify as male, individuals assigned female at birth who have not taken medical or legal steps to identify as male, and individuals assigned female at birth who do not identify within the gender binary.”
Bryn Mawr clarified its enrollment practices regarding transgender women in 2015, noting that the school would accept transgender women and “intersex individuals who live and identify as women at the time of application.”
» READ MORE: Bryn Mawr College clarifies its admissions guidelines on transgender students
The school notes that it’s “an institution that values diversity as essential to its excellence” and that it recognizes “gender is fluid and that traditional notions of gender identity and expression can be limiting.”
“Our women-centered focus is not intended to exclude any members of this special community, although it is a fundamental part of our undergraduate mission,” the school states.
» READ MORE: This women’s college declared its doors open to nonbinary students. And more enrolled.
Moore College, based in Philadelphia, in 2020 adopted a policy that said it would accept students assigned female at birth or those who “self-identify as women, trans women, nonbinary, or gender-nonconforming individuals, at the time of application.” That led to growth in nonbinary and gender-nonconforming students.
Moore this year said it would consider opening undergraduate programs to men; a decision is expected by June.
» READ MORE: Moore College will consider opening undergraduate programs to men
The education department on Monday announced it was opening a Title IX investigation into Smith, which was founded in 1871. Title IX is a federal civil rights law that prohibits sexual harassment and discrimination.
Both Smith and Bryn Mawr are part of what’s known as the Seven Sisters, a consortium of historically prestigious women’s colleges in the Northeastern part of the country. Vassar has since gone coed and Radcliffe merged with Harvard. The others are Wellesley, Mount Holyoke, and Barnard.
“An all-women’s college loses all meaning if it is admitting biological males,” Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Kimberly Richey said in a news release. “Allowing biological males into spaces designed for women raises serious concerns about privacy, fairness, and compliance under federal law.”
In 2025, Defending Education, a conservative group, filed a complaint, accusing Smith of violating federal sex discrimination laws, according to The Associated Press.
