Education Department investigating women-only Smith College for allowing transgender students

The Department of Education is investigating Smith College to determine whether or not the institution violated Title IX by admitting transgender students into the all-women’s college.

“An all-women’s college loses all meaning if it is admitting biological males,” Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Kimberly Richey said in a statement. “Allowing biological males into spaces designed for women raises serious concerns about privacy, fairness, and compliance under federal law.”

The investigation comes after Defending Education filed an Office for Civil Rights complaint against the college in 2025 for admitting transgender women. The education group alleged in its complaint that Smith College discriminates on the basis of sex in violation of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 by having an admissions policy that accepts “cis, trans and nonbinary women” into the college.

“Smith is a women’s college and considers for admission any applicants who self-identify as women; cis, trans, and nonbinary women are