NORTHAMPTON, Mass. (WGGB/WSHM) - Smith College is still under federal scrutiny after the Department of Education opened a Title IX investigation for admitting transgender women into the school.

The complaint filed back in June of 2025 alleged that the all-women’s college is allowing transgender women to attend and access women’s only spaces, that includes dorms, bathrooms, locker rooms, and athletic teams. However — Smith’s policy that allows transgender women to enroll dates back about eleven years.

The complaint filed comes from the group “Defending Education”, they’re alleging discrimination on the basis of sex in programs or activities that receive federal financial assistance.

According to Smith College, the admissions policy provision on “gender identity and expression”

Who’s allowed to apply to Smith;

So, what’s required of trans and nonbinary women applicants to be considered for admission?

That being said, Defending Education claimed that Smith admitting biological males who identify as women but not biological females who identify as male is discrimination.

They also say that it’s all-gender restroom and locker room policies violate Title IX. Therefore, they’ve asked the Department of Education to investigate and remove unlawful policies.

So, what’s the legal argument behind the complaint. Does title IX actually allow a private women’s college to exclude transgender women?

The argument hinges on how “sex and gender” are interpreted under Title IX, the complaint argues that single-sex admissions are based on biological sex rather than gender identity.

However, the Department of Education’s Title IX guidance also said “private undergraduate colleges are exempt from Title IX’s “admissions discrimination rule” — which means that Title IX typically will not govern who is admitted into the college if it’s an undergraduate private school. Title IX does apply to the rest of the college’s programs and activities if the school receives federal financial assistance.

We have reached out to several civil rights attorneys, including the American Civil Liberties Union and GLAAD, and we’ve reached out to local women and gender study professors, in addition to Title IX experts.

Coming up at 6, we spoke with the leader of a transgender support group in Northampton that has several members that attend Smith College. How the trans community is responding to the complaint —– tune in tonight to find out.