'Admitting biological men': US govt investigates Smith College for enrolling trans women— what education law says

The US department of education has opened an investigation into Smith College, an all-women’s college in Massachusetts, over its admission of transgender women.

The probe was announced on Monday by the department’s office for civil rights. It will examine whether the college has violated Title IX, a 1972 law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in education. The department said Title IX allows colleges to be single-sex institutions, but only “on the basis of biological sex difference, not subjective gender identity.”

Smith College, a private liberal arts college founded in 1871, has allowed transgender women to apply since 2015, like several other women’s colleges in the US. Its current admissions policy says that “any applicants who self-identify as women; cis, trans, and nonbinary women” are eligible to apply.

The investigation comes after a complaint was filed in June 2025 with the office for civil rights by the conservative group Defending Education. The group said in a statement, “DE and its members oppose, among other things, discrimination on the basis of sex in America’s K-12 schools and institutions of higher education.”

The college’s approach has been discussed for years. In 2013, it drew attention after a transgender high school student was denied admission because her gender identity did not match details on her financial aid documents.

According to the Women’s College Coalition, the number of colleges in the US allowing trans women, has fallen from over 200 to around 30 by 2023.

Trump targets LGBTQ education

The move is part of a wider push by the US president Donald Trump's administration, which has taken a strong stance on transgender rights and argued that Title IX should block transgender women from participating in women’s spaces, including sports.

Earlier guidance introduced under the Biden administration to extend protections based on sexual orientation and gender identity was struck down by a federal judge in January 2025, who ruled that the rules had legal issues.

Last year, Trump also told 40 states to eliminate parts of lessons that focus on LGBTQ+ issues from federally funded sexual education materials and warned they would lose funding.

What is Title IX of US Education law

Title IX, enacted in 1972 as part of the Education Amendments, is a US federal civil rights law prohibiting sex-based discrimination in any education program receiving federal funding.

It states: "No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance." This covers schools, colleges, extracurriculars, and training programs.

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