NEW YORK, Dec. 11, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Newsweek, in partnership with Gender Fair, today unveiled the first-ever America’s Best Colleges for Women Ranking, designed to help prospective students and faculty evaluate how well U.S. colleges support and advance women on campus and beyond. Spelman College ranked number one overall in the inaugural rankings, leading a national list of institutions recognized for strong performance across key measures of gender equity.
Gender Fair and Newsweek measured eligible U.S. colleges based on leadership, pay and policies, safety, and opportunity. Data sources include the U.S. Department of Education’s Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System surveys, the Campus Safety and Security database, and desk research to identify material changes since the latest federal reporting. Eligible institutions are U.S. bachelor’s degree-granting colleges with at least 1,000 students and 20 or more women employed in academic roles.
“Since tuition is one of life’s biggest expenditures, women deserve transparency about how colleges are serving them, not just academically, but institutionally,” said Amy-Willard Cross, Founder of Gender Fair. “These rankings give students, families and faculty a practical, evidence-based way to see where women are represented in leadership, whether they are treated equitably in pay and policy, protected on campus, and supported with real opportunity.”
Gender Fair is an organization that examines gender equality using publicly available data across many organizations, public, private and nonprofit so people who care about equality can pay, buy or donate to organizations that support women. These college rankings are intended to complement campus visits, student conversations, and other research, and are not intended to be considered in isolation.
“Newsweek is committed to publishing rankings that help students make smarter, more personal college choices,” said Duncan Ross, Global Head of Research at Newsweek. “America’s Best Colleges for Women offers a vital perspective by measuring the conditions that shape women’s success in higher education.”
Spelman College’s number one overall placement reflects strong performance across the ranking’s core measures, emphasizing the institution’s long-standing commitment to cultivating women leaders, supporting equitable academic environments, ensuring campus safety, and expanding opportunities for women from diverse backgrounds.
Top colleges for America’s Best Colleges for Women include:
Small Schools
- Spelman College, GA
- St Catherine University, MN
- Herzing University-Madison, WI
- Alverno College, WI
- The Chicago School of Professional Psychology at Chicago, IL
Medium Schools
- Thomas Jefferson University, PA
- Mercy College, NY
- CUNY York College, NY
- National Louis University, IL
- Pasco-Hernando State College, FL
Large Schools
- Miami Dade College, FL
- Texas Woman's University, TX
- California State University-Los Angeles, CA
- San Francisco State University, CA
- Palm Beach State College, FL
To read the full list, visit rankings.newsweek.com/americas-best-colleges-for-women-2026
About Newsweek:
Newsweek is the global digital news organization built around the iconic 93-year-old American magazine. Newsweek reaches 100 million people monthly with its thought-provoking news, opinion, images, graphics, and video delivered across a dozen print and digital platforms. Headquartered in New York City, Newsweek also publishes international editions in 50 countries.
Contact:
Alyssa M. Tognetti
Broadsheet Communications for Newsweek
alyssa@broadsheetcomms.com
