Women's College Coalition

As a parent whose daughter is searching for a college, you have a big stake in her decision and want to help her find a place where she will thrive. And as any parent who has been part of a college search knows, it can also be a time of high anxiety!  Here are some answers to questions that may be on your mind.

Why a women’s college?

Few women who begin their college search have a women’s college on their list, despite the fact that research has shown that women who attend women’s colleges

• are more satisfied with their college experience than women who attend co-ed colleges
• believe they are better prepared for their first job than women who attend co-ed colleges
• are more likely to have the communication, leadership and collaborative skills that employers want
• have higher levels of self-confidence
• are better prepared for future career change and advancement

All this happens because women’s colleges have small classes where collaborative learning, lively discussion and written and oral communications are the norm; where women have numerous opportunities to be active leaders and committed followers; and where the campus culture is challenging yet supportive. Learn more.

Can we afford it?

There is no question that going to college requires a major financial commitment.  That’s why women’s colleges are committed to making a college education available to all qualified women.  For example, did you know that, for first-year, full time students at women’s colleges

• 94% receive some form of financial aid?
• 48% are eligible for Pell Grants?
• the average annual institutional aid is over $15,000?
• the 6-year graduation rate is higher than at co-ed institutions (which means fewer years of college expenses)?

In addition to the financial aid available from women’s colleges, the Sunflower Initiative also offers a scholarship to women who enroll in a women’s college.  Learn more.

Will she fit in?

There is nothing like a campus visit to find your fit because women’s colleges are as diverse as the students they serve.  You’ll find them in metropolitan areas, small towns and rural areas.  They are public and private.  You’ll find some whose courses of study emphasize the liberal arts and others whose focus is preparing women for particular professions. Some are secular, others have a religious affiliation.  Despite the diversity offered by women’s colleges, their students tend to share some common characteristics.  They are:

• racially and ethnically diverse 
• academic high-achievers
• more likely to attend graduate school
• more likely to be interested and engaged in the arts
• more likely to care about improving the world around them
• more likely to place a high value on their spiritual life
• more likely to be politically engaged

If your daughter sees herself here, encourage her to put a women’s college on her list.

Will she be safe?

 Issues of safety are often top of mind for parents, and women’s colleges take student safety and well-being very seriously.

To see the campus safety record and learn what the colleges on your daughter’s list are doing to ensure their students’ safety, search for the Annual Security and Fire Safety Report on the college’s website.