The U.S. Department of Education has opened a Title IX investigation into Smith College, examining the Massachusetts institution's admission of transgender women.

The Education Department's Office for Civil Rights announced Monday that it is investigating the private all-women's college for its policies regarding transgender women students. The investigation focuses on the school's practice of admitting transgender women and providing them access to women-only spaces on campus.

Smith College is a private liberal arts institution located in Northampton, Massachusetts, that has maintained its status as a women's college since its founding in 1871. The school is one of the historically women's colleges known as the Seven Sisters.

Title IX is the federal law that prohibits sex-based discrimination in education programs and activities that receive federal financial assistance. The Office for Civil Rights enforces compliance with this statute across educational institutions nationwide.

The investigation represents the latest development in ongoing national debates over transgender rights in educational settings and single-sex institutions.