ABSTRACT

As late as 1910, college students represented less than 3 percent of the entire population aged 18 to 24. Yet their numbers had more than doubled since the Civil War, and women played an important role in that increase. In 1860, only three private colleges in the country admitted women. Over the next several decades, many coeducational institutions opened and a number of female colleges were established. By 1910, women represented nearly 40 percent of the nation's college enrollment.