The U.S. Department of Education has launched an investigation into Smith College, a private women's liberal arts institution in Massachusetts, over its policy of admitting transgender women. The probe by the Office of Civil Rights will determine whether the college violated Title IX, the 1972 federal law that prohibits sex-based discrimination in educational programs and activities.
Background of the Investigation
This action represents the latest move by the Trump administration to curtail transgender rights in the United States. The administration has consistently argued that Title IX prevents transgender women from participating in women's sports, leading to lawsuits against several states and investigations into schools that do not comply with this interpretation.
Smith College, founded in 1871, has admitted transgender women since 2015, a policy shared by many other elite women's colleges. The school's admissions website states that “any applicants who self-identify as women; cis, trans, and nonbinary women” are eligible to apply. Advocates have supported this inclusive policy, arguing that women's colleges were historically established to educate individuals marginalized due to their gender.
Legal and Political Context
The investigation stems from a complaint filed in June 2025 by Defending Education, a conservative legal group. The organization stated that it “opposes, among other things, discrimination on the basis of sex in America’s K-12 schools and institutions of higher education.”
According to the Department of Education, Title IX contains an exception allowing colleges to be single-sex, but only “on the basis of biological sex difference, not subjective gender identity.” During the Biden administration, new Title IX regulations were issued to prevent discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity, but these were struck down by a federal judge in January 2025 due to legal deficiencies.
Impact on Women's Colleges
The number of women's colleges in the U.S. has declined sharply, from more than 200 to just 30 as of fall 2023, according to the Women's College Coalition. Smith College's admission policy has drawn attention and sparked campus activism since 2013, when a transgender high school senior was denied admission because her gender identity did not match the one on her financial aid forms.
A college spokesperson did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment. The outcome of the investigation could have significant implications for transgender rights and the future of single-sex education in the United States.
