Defending Education Files Civil Rights Complaint Against Wellesley College for Violations of Title IX

On June 25, 2026, Defending Education (DE) filed a complaint against Wellesley College for discrimination on the basis of sex in programs or activities that receive federal financial assistance in violation of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (Title IX), 20 U.S.C. § 1681 et. seq.

Wellesley College was founded in 1870 to pioneer “educational opportunit[ies] for women” and to “prepare them” for “‘great conflicts, for vast reforms in social life.’”  The all-women college boasts: “For 150 years, Wellesley has remained true to its founding mission: to educate women who will make a difference.”  But, unfortunately, that is not actually the case. In 2015, Wellesley updated its admissions policies “to make anyone who identifies and lives as a woman—including trans and nonbinary people—eligible for admission.”  The college made this change while “recogniz[ing] that the gender identity of some of our students could evolve during their time at Wellesley, and they might no longer identify as women.” Wellesley College dorms likewise feature communal bathrooms, not male and female bathrooms.  By admitting male students and housing them with female students in dorms that only have communal bathrooms, Wellesley has effectively eliminated female-only intimate spaces in these campus dorms.

The Department of Education’s own guidance on Title IX clarifies that covered educational programs and activities include: “[A]ll the operations of a school that receives financial assistance including academics, extracurricular activities, athletics, and other programs. Title IX applies to all  operations of a school, including those that take place in the facilities of the school, on a school  bus, or in a class or training program sponsored by the school at another location.” Wellesley’s policies denying women safety, privacy, and equal educational opportunity all appear to violate Title IX.  

Accordingly, Defending Education has asked that the Department promptly investigate all allegations in its complaint, swiftly remedy unlawful policies and practices, and order appropriate relief. 

---