Some women’s colleges are reporting especially high yield rates this year, according to a recent Inside Higher Ed article.

At Bryn Mawr College (PA), the percentage of applicants who accepted offers of admission went from 32 percent in 2017 to 36 percent in 2018.

Barnard College (NY), Mount Holyoke College (MA), and Smith College (MA) also saw 4-percentage-point increases in their 2018 yield figures.

School officials believe recent events have spurred greater interest in the unique learning experiences offered by women’s colleges. At Barnard, for example, admission officials have noticed that a greater portion of essays submitted by students have touched on issues of sexism or privilege. A significant number of applicants have also mentioned their involvement with political campaigns or protest movements, such as the 2017 Women’s March, Barnard’s Vice President of Enrollment Jennifer Fondiller told Inside Higher Ed.

“These are great institutions. People have always been interested in us because we are great schools,” Bryn Mawr President Kim Cassidy told Inside Higher Ed. “I think, prior to 2015, many high school girls didn’t look at us because they didn’t understand what it would mean to be at a women’s college.”

Read the full Inside Higher Ed article.

Admitted writer/editor Mary Stegmeir welcomes additional comments and story ideas at mstegmeir@nacacnet.org.