A storied women’s college faces federal probe for admitting trans students

The Education Department has launched an investigation into Smith College, one of the nation’s most well-known women’s colleges, for its policy that allows transgender women to enroll.

The probe, announced Monday, could mark the start of a lengthy legal battle between the Trump administration and women’s colleges that accept students who were assigned male at birth and now identify as women.

Title IX, the federal civil rights law that prohibits sex discrimination at educational institutions that receive federal money, makes an exception for admissions decisions at private undergraduate colleges, like Smith. That allows single-sex colleges to operate without violating the law.

But the Education Department asserted that the exception applies only to biological sex, not gender identity.

“An all-women’s college loses all meaning if it is admitting biological males,” Kimberly Richey, the assistant secretary for civil rights, said in a news release.

The Education Department said it is also investigating Smith’s decision to give trans women access to “women-only spaces, including dormitories, bathrooms, locker rooms, and athletic teams.”

“Allowing biological males into spaces designed for women raises serious concerns about privacy, fairness, and compliance under federal law,” Richey said.

The investigation follows a 2025 complaint by Defending Education, a conservative group that accused Smith of violating federal sexual discrimination law.

“Smith College has betrayed its original mission by admitting biological males, undermining the principle of providing equal education specifically for women,” the organization said in a statement Monday. “These policies erase legal protections for female students and undermine their privacy, safety, and equal opportunity.”

Smith, based in Northampton, Mass., first announced its decision to accept trans women in 2015.

“The board’s decision affirms Smith’s unwavering mission and identity as a women’s college, our commitment to representing the diversity of women’s lived experiences, and the college’s exceptional role in the advancement of women worldwide,” the school said in a statement at the time. “Our clarified admission policy reflects a women’s college that is steadfast in its founding mission yet evolving to reflect a changing world.”

On Monday, Smith College issued a statement saying it is committed to complying with civil rights laws but does not comment on pending government investigations.

Two other women’s colleges that admit trans women, Wellesley and Bryn Mawr, did not respond to a request for comment Monday.

The Women’s College Coalition, which represents nearly three dozen women’s colleges, could not be reached.

While many women’s colleges accept transgender students, not all do. Sweet Briar College in Virginia announced in 2024 that it would not admit transgender women.