Single-Sex Colleges

History

The first generations of educated women in the United States were, with few exceptions, products of single-sex secondary and undergraduate colleges. The first all-female academies, founded in the early 1800s, reflected a commitment to traditional gender roles that reserved the public sphere for men. These schools later became an essential part of the 19th-century women's movement, which incorporated ideas such as preparing women for work outside the home. At that time, sexual segregation was considered the norm.

At the beginning of the 20th century, a significant number of colleges and universities were single-sex institutions. For example, in 1910, out of the nation's 1,083 colleges, 27% were exclusively for men, 15% were exclusively for women, and the remaining 58% were coeducational colleges. In the 1960s, the number of single-sex colleges in the United States began a precipitous decline that has continued into the current century. In the 1970s, a number of men's colleges began accepting women. In 1970, there were 230 women's colleges and 174 men's colleges; as of 2000, only 63 women's colleges remained. Between 1970 and 1980, 108 women's colleges and 101 men's colleges became coeducational, while another 46 women's colleges and 27 men's colleges closed. As of 1987, only 2% of full-time female students were enrolled in women-only colleges.

Single-Sex Colleges Today

At present, about 50 women's colleges, all of which were established in the mid-19th century, still exist, although all but a handful of this total now include male students in their full-time populations on campus (National Center for Education Statistics, 2007). The remaining colleges that were founded for women include the famed Seven Sisters in New York, Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts: Barnard College (NY), Bryn Mawr College (PA), Mount Holyoke College (MA), Radcliffe College (MA), Smith College (MA), Vassar College (NY), and Wellesley College (MA). There are also two women's colleges among historically black colleges and universities: Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia, and Bennett College for Women, in Greensboro, North Carolina.

Today, in the United States, women outnumber men among college graduates. Yet, only a little over 1% of all women who are awarded bachelor of arts degrees graduate from single-sex colleges. However, applications and numbers of students who choose to enroll in colleges for women have increased. In fact, the data indicate about 3% of female high school seniors consider attending one of the nation's women's colleges.

When students at single-sex colleges seek funding for their education, such funds are regulated by the Higher Education Act of 1965. The U.S. Department of Education interpreted this act as requiring officials at institutions wishing to participate in federal programs for student financial aid either to have or to be about to receive accreditation from nationally recognized accrediting bodies or to show that credits earned by their students are accepted, on transfer and enrollment, by at least three accredited institutions. The Department of Education has interpreted the construction of the statute as meaning that if a college is to participate in federal aid programs, students from that college actually have to have successfully transferred to and enrolled in at least three accredited institutions. The congressional intent of the statute was to broaden the accessibility of federal financial aid funds to include students attending nontraditional or specialized postsecondary institutions. The purpose of this provision was solely to ensure that unaccredited institutions be of acceptable academic quality if they are seeking eligibility to participate in student aid programs.

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