NCAA restricts women's sports participation to athletes assigned female at birth
NCAA restricts women's sports to athletes assigned female at birth, reshaping collegiate athletic eligibility.
Event / Politics
Smith College Title IX Investigation
U.S. Department of Education opened a Title IX investigation into Smith College on May 5, 2026, examining whether the college's admission of transgender women violates federal sex discrimination law. The investigation was triggered by a complaint from a conservative legal group and is part of the Trump administration's broader effort to use Title IX enforcement regarding transgender issues in education.
3 reported locations
Daily activity
0 articles0 articles
2026-08-18 to 2026-11-15 · UTC publication dates
Coverage begins 6 May, 01:37 UTC
Follow the documented timeline or explore the related reporting.
What happened
U.S. Department of Education opens Title IX investigation into Smith College for admitting transgender women
The U.S. Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights opened an investigation on Monday into Smith College, an all-women's liberal arts institution in Massachusetts, to determine whether the college violated Title IX by admitting transgender women. The investigation examines whether Smith College's admission of trans women constitutes sex discrimination under Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972.
Smith College began admitting transgender women in 2015
Smith College, founded in 1871 as an all-women's institution, updated its admissions policy in 2015 to admit transgender women. The policy change followed a 2013 incident in which a transgender high school senior was denied admission because her gender identity did not match her financial aid forms. The college's current admissions criteria state that applicants who self-identify as women, including cis, trans, and nonbinary women, are eligible to apply.
Other women's colleges adopted policies admitting transgender women
Following Smith College's policy change in 2015, other elite women's colleges including Barnard College, Wellesley College, and Bryn Mawr College also updated their admissions policies to include transgender women.
Trump administration launches Title IX investigations into schools for transgender sports participation
The Trump administration has sued several states and launched investigations into schools regarding Title IX compliance related to transgender participation in sports. In January 2025, the Office for Civil Rights opened 18 investigations into educational entities for potentially allowing transgender individuals to compete in women's sports, and found San José State University in violation of Title IX for this reason.
NCAA changed policy to restrict women's sports to athletes assigned female at birth
In response to the Trump administration's executive order banning transgender women and girls from competing in female sports, the National Collegiate Athletic Association changed its policy to allow only athletes assigned female at birth to compete in women's sports.
Trump administration reverses Biden-era Title IX regulations on transgender discrimination
The Trump administration reversed Title IX regulations issued during the Biden administration that had prevented discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. The administration directed federal agencies to uphold the biological distinction between men and women, and a federal judge struck down the Biden-era rules in January 2025, determining they had legal shortcomings.
Number of women's colleges in the U.S. declined from over 200 to 30
The number of women's colleges in the United States has declined significantly from more than 200 institutions to only 30 as of fall 2023, according to the Women's College Coalition. This represents a substantial decrease in single-gender women's educational institutions over several decades.
Conservative legal group Defending Education filed complaint against Smith College in June 2025
Defending Education, a conservative legal organization, filed a complaint with the Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights in June 2025 alleging that Smith College violated Title IX by admitting transgender women and granting them access to women-only spaces including dormitories, bathrooms, locker rooms, and athletic teams.
Read the coverage
2 alternative perspectives
Trump administration expands Title IX enforcement strategy targeting transgender policies
Trump administration escalates Title IX enforcement targeting transgender policies across multiple educational areas.
Women's colleges navigate transgender admissions amid federal scrutiny
Women's colleges including Smith have expanded admissions to transgender women amid institutional transformation.
Education Department investigates Smith College transgender admissions policy
Federal investigation into Smith College's transgender admissions policy launched following conservative group complaint.