Columbia College, which was founded in 1854 as Columbia Female College, will start admitting male students to its undergraduate day program starting this coming fall, the South Carolina institution announced in a statement.
However, male students won’t be allowed to live on campus or participate in athletics events; these options will become available in the fall of 2021.
Earlier this year, the college said it would begin admitting male students to the undergraduate residential day program beginning in the fall of 2021. But it decided to advance that schedule because the coronavirus pandemic has meant that instruction may remain online and because some students may decide to attend college closer to home.
“These factors are likely to make the summer of 2020 a crucial window in which to enact the expansion of our brand of high-quality, leadership-focused, liberal arts education at a time when it is sorely needed, said Columbia College President Peter T. Mitchell. “This is the same motivation that compelled the College to open to men for a brief period after World War II.”
