Women’s colleges were in the news when two, Smith College (ranked #4) and Saint Mary’s College (ranked #8) were recognized by the New York Times as some of the most economically diverse top colleges in the country. They were joined by Barnard, Wellesley and Bryn Mawr in the top fifty.
Women’s colleges have educated a higher percentage of low-income, racially diverse and first-generation students than traditional co-ed colleges and universities, public or private, for more than a decade.