Timeline of women's colleges in the United States

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This is an incomplete list, which may never be able to satisfy certain standards for completeness. Revisions and sourced additions are welcome.

This Timeline of Women's colleges in the United States tracks the development of institutions of higher education in the United States which are undergraduate, bachelor's degree-granting institutions, often liberal arts colleges, whose student populations are comprised exclusively or almost exclusively of women. There are approximately sixty active women's colleges in the U.S.

Where institutions have become coeducational, this is noted, along with the year the enrollment policy was changed. Current women's colleges are listed in bold text. Colleges that are closing or transitioning to coeducation are listed in italics.

[edit] Background

Education for girls and women was initially provided for in the 18th Century by Moravian settlements in Pennsylvania and North Carolina. Moravian College, founded in 1742 in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania was originally called the Bethlehem Female Seminary. It began to grant undergraduate degrees in 1863 and became the Moravian Seminary and College for Women in 1913. In 1954, it combined with the boys school, Moravian College and Theological Seminary and became coeducational.[1] The Moravians of Salem, North Carolina began what is now Salem College in 1772 in Winston-Salem.

Women's colleges, however, were primarily founded during the early 19th century. According to Irene Harwarth, Mindi Maline, and Elizabeth DeBra, "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."^[1] Early proponents of education for women were Catharine Beecher (Hartford Female Seminary, 1823), Zilpah P. Grant Banister (Ipswich Female Seminary, 1828) and Mary Lyon. Lyon was involved in the development of both Hartford Female Seminary and Ipswich Female Seminary. She as also involved in the creation of Wheaton College, Massachusetts in 1834. In 1837, Lyon founded Mount Holyoke Female Seminary (later Mount Holyoke College). According to the United States Department of Education, "Mount Holyoke’s significance is that it became a model for a multitude of other women’s colleges throughout the country." ^[2]

While there were a few coeducational colleges (such as Oberlin College founded in 1833, Antioch College in 1853, and Bates College in 1855), most colleges and universities of high standing at that time were exclusively for men. In 1886, H. Sophie Newcomb Memorial College, a coordinate college of Tulane University, was founded as the first coordinate women's college in the United States.

[edit] 18th century

Moravian College, founded in 1742. Originally called the Bethlehem Female Seminary, the college began to grant undergraduate degrees in 1863 and became Moravian Seminary and College for Women in 1913. In 1954, it combined with the boys school, Moravian College and Theological Seminary and became coeducational.
Salem College founded in 1772 in Winston Salem, North Carolina. It became a female academy in 1866 and a woman's college in 1890.
Litchfield Female Academy founded in 1792 in Litchfield, Connecticut, it closed in 1833.

[edit] 19th century

[edit] 1810s

Louisburg College - Louisburg Female Academy, North Carolina, founded in 1814; Louisburg Female College, found in 1857. Later merged with Franklin Male Academy.

[edit] 1820s

Hartford Female Seminary - founded in 1823, it closed towards the later half of the 19th Century.
Ipswich Female Seminary - founded in 1828, it closed in 1878.

[edit] 1830s

LaGrange College - LaGrange, Georgia, founded in 1831 as a female academy, it became LaGrange Female College in 1851, and coeducational in 1953
Stephens College - Columbia, Missouri, founded in 1833 as the Columbia Female Academy, it became a college in 1856 (The Columbia Female Baptist Academy), and was renamed Stephens Female College at a later date
Wheaton College, Massachusetts - founded in 1834 as Wheaton Female Seminary with the help of Mary Lyon; Wheaton became a college in 1912 and coeducational in 1987
University of West Alabama - Originally founded in 1835 as Livingston Female Academy and State Normal College,
Wesleyan College - Macon, Georgia, originally Georgia Female College, it was first chartered in 1836, but did not open its doors to students until 1839.
Mount Holyoke College - South Hadley, Massachusetts, originally founded as Mount Holyoke Female Seminary in 1837 by Mary Lyon, it became Mount Holyoke Seminary and College in 1888 and Mount Holyoke College in 1893
Judson College (Alabama) - originally founded in 1838 as the Judson Female Institute, it became Judson College in 1903
Longwood University - Farmville, Virginia, founded in 1839 as Farmville Female Seminary Association. It became coeducational in 1976.

[edit] 1840s

Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College - founded in 1840
Synodical College - founded in 1842 as the Fulton Female Academy (closed in 1928)
Hollins College - originally established in 1842 as Valley Union Seminary (coeducational), it became a school for women in 1852, and was renamed Hollins Institute in 1855, Hollins College in 1911, and Hollins University in 1998
Mary Baldwin College - originally founded in 1842 as the Augusta Female Seminary, it became the Mary Baldwin Seminary in 1895, and the Mary Baldwin College in 1923
Saint Mary's College (Indiana) - founded by the Sisters of the Holy Cross in 1844
MacMurray College - founded in 1846 as the Illinois Conference Female Academy, in 1851, Illinois Female College in 1863 and MacMurray College in 1930 (it is now coeducational)
Midway College - originally founded in 1847 as the Kentucky Female Orphan School
Moore College of Art and Design - originally founded in 1848 as Philadelphia School of Design for Women
Chowan University - founded in 1848 as Chowan Baptist Female Institute. It became coeducational in 1931.
The Oread Institute - founded in 1849, it closed in 1934
Tift College - founded in 1849 as the Forsyth Female Collegiate Institute

[edit] 1850s

Drexel University College of Medicine -- founded in 1850. It is now, after several changes including becoming co-ed, Drexel University's College of Medicine
Mills College - originally founded as the Young Ladies Seminary in 1852, it became Mills Seminary in 1866, and Mills College in 1885
Beaver College - founded in 1853, it became coeducational and has now been renamed Arcadia University
Ohio Wesleyan Female College - originally founded in 1853, it merged with Ohio Wesleyan University in 1877
Columbia College (Columbia, South Carolina) - founded in 1854
Andrew College - founded in 1854 as Andrew Female College
Elmira College - founded in 1855
Western College for Women - founded in 1855 as Western Female Seminary
Peace College - founded in 1857 as the Peace Institute

[edit] 1860s

Vassar College - founded in 1861, it declined an offer to merge with Yale University and became coeducational in 1969
Cedar Crest College - founded in 1867
Wells College - founded in 1868, it became coeducational in 2005
Chatham College - founded in 1869 as the Pennsylvania Female College, it became the Pennsylvania College for Women in 1890, and Chatham College in 1955
Wilson College - founded in 1869

[edit] 1870s

Wellesley College - originally founded in 1870 as the Wellesley Female Seminary, it was renamed Wellesley College in 1873 and opened its doors to students in 1875
Hunter College - founded in 1870, became co-ed in the 1950s
Ursuline College - founded in 1871
Smith College - founded in 1871
Mount Mary College - originally founded as St. Mary's Institute in 1872, it became St. Mary's College in 1913, and Mount Mary College in 1929
Bennett College - originally founded in 1873 as a coeducational school, it became a women's college in 1926
College of Notre Dame of Maryland - founded in 1873
Blue Mountain College - founded in 1873 as the Blue Mountain Female Institute
Brenau University - founded as the Georgia Baptist Female Seminary in 1878, it became Brenau College in 1900, and Brenau University in 1992
Radcliffe College - originally created in 1879 as the Harvard Annex, it was chartered as Radcliffe College by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in 1894; Radcliffe is now a part of Harvard University

[edit] 1880s

Spelman College - originally founded in 1881 and called the Atlanta Baptist Female Seminary, it was renamed Spelman Seminary in 1884 and Spelman College in 1924
Mississippi University for Women - founded in 1884; is the first public college for women; became coeducational in 1982 as a result of the Supreme Court's Mississippi University for Women v. Hogan case.
Bryn Mawr College - founded in 1885
Goucher College - founded in 1885 as The Women's College of Baltimore and was renamed Goucher College in 1910; became co-ed in the 1980s
H. Sophie Newcomb Memorial College - founded in 1886; became co-ed in 2006 under Tulane
Evelyn College for Women - was the coordinate women's college of Princeton University in Princeton, New Jersey between 1887 and 1897
Converse College - founded in 1889
Agnes Scott College - founded in 1889 as the Decatur Female Seminary, it became the Agnes Scott Institute in 1890, and Agnes Scott College in 1906
Barnard College - founded in 1889

[edit] 1890s

Meredith College - originally founded in 1891 as the Baptist Female University, it became the Baptist University for Women, in 1891, and Meredith College in 1909
Randolph College - founded as Randolph-Macon Women's College in 1891 and opened its doors in 1893. It will become coeducational in 2007 and change its name.
Trinity College - founded in 1897, became Trinity (Washington) University in 2004.
Simmons College (Massachusetts) - founded in 1899
College of Saint Elizabeth - founded in 1899

[edit] 20th century

[edit] 1900s

Sweet Briar College - founded in 1901
Skidmore College - founded in 1903 as Young Woman's Industrial Club, in 1911 became Skidmore School of the Arts, in 1922 established as Skidmore College; it became coeducational in 1971