Unveiling the Seven Sisters: Pioneers in Women’s Higher Education

Table of Contents

• History

• List of Seven Sisters 

  
  

History

Everybody knows about the prestigious eight Ivy League schools, but are you aware of the “Seven Sisters”? The “Seven Sisters” is a group of esteemed liberal arts colleges officially formed in 1926 to combat the crisis faced by women’s colleges. Every year, the Seven Sisters colleges host an annual meeting called the “Seven Sisters Conference.” This event aims to improve relations between the colleges and provides an opportunity for further education.

List of Seven Sisters

1. Barnard College

   
   

   Barnard College Situated in the heart of the United States—New York—Barnard College has one of the lowest acceptance rates among the Seven Sisters. With an acceptance rate of 9%, Barnard College is the only college in the group with a single-digit acceptance rate. It is affiliated with Columbia University and, according to its gender policy, is women-only. The student-to-faculty ratio at the college is 10:1.

   
   

2. Bryn Mawr College

   
   

   Bryn Mawr College is located in Pennsylvania, United States. It has an acceptance rate of 31%, which is among the highest acceptance rates in the Seven Sisters. Over the years, it has partnered with Haverford College, Swarthmore College, and the University of Pennsylvania. The gender policy of Bryn Mawr College has evolved over time; it admits students who are women (including cisgender and transgender women), intersex individuals who do not identify as male, individuals assigned female at birth who have not taken medical or legal steps to identify as male, and individuals assigned female at birth who do not identify within the gender binary. The student-to-faculty ratio at this college is 8:1.

   
   

3. Mount Holyoke College

   
   

   Located in South Hadley, Massachusetts, Mount Holyoke College is one of the very few colleges of seven sisters that is an independent institution. Mount Holyoke College does not have any collaborations, mergers, or partnerships with any other institution. It has the largest acceptance rate out of the seven sisters, at 40%. It allows admission to students who are women, transgender, or non-binary. It has a student-to-faculty ratio of 9:1. 

   
   

4. Smith College

   
   

   It is located in Northampton, Massachusetts. Like Mount Holyoke College, Smith College is also an independent college. The gender policy of Smith College allows women, transgender, and non-binary students to apply for admission. It has an acceptance rate of 23% and a student-to-faculty ratio of 8:1.

   
   

5. Radcliffe College

   
   

   Radcliffe College is now known as the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University. In 1977, Radcliffe College signed a ‘non-merger merger’ with Harvard University and was fully incorporated into Harvard in 1999. Since then, Radcliffe has adopted a gender-neutral policy.

   
   

6. Vassar College

   
   

   Located in Poughkeepsie, New York, Vassar College has also adopted a gender-neutral policy. It has an acceptance rate of 19% and is considered one of the best colleges among the Seven Sisters. Vassar declined a merger with Yale in 1967. The student-to-faculty ratio at Vassar College is 8:1.

   
   

7. Wellesley College

   
   

   It is located in Wellesley, as the name suggests. It has an acceptance rate of 14%. The gender policy at this college has not changed since its establishment; it maintains a women-only policy. The student-to-faculty ratio is 8:1.