Global Site Navigation
Section Navigation
Skip Navigation
About SimmonsQuick FactsSimmons HistoryWhy a Women's College?The Educational ContractNews and EventsPubs, Orgs, and ConferencesSimmons Strategic PlanWork at SimmonsCampaign for Simmons
admissionacademicsstudent lifevisitabout

Simmons History

An empowering education

Decades before women in America gained the right to vote, Boston businessman John Simmons had a revolutionary idea - that women should be able to earn independent livelihoods and lead meaningful lives. It was this same spirit of inclusion and empowerment that produced the first African-American Simmons graduate in 1914, and created one of the only private colleges that did not impose admission quotas on Jewish students during the first half of the 1900s.

Since 1899, Simmons has offered a pioneering liberal arts education for undergraduate women integrated with professional work experience. Today, Simmons encompasses the many benefits of a small university. We offer renowned coeducational graduate programs in health studies, education, liberal arts, communications management, social work, and library and information science. We also offer an MBA program designed specifically for women. We value the many dimensions of identity - including race, class, ethnicity, and sexual identity - and reflect that in our curriculum, affiliated organizations, and community partnerships.

Simmons consistently ranks among the nation's top schools in the U.S. News & World Report annual survey. That's no surprise. Simmons educates people who share a passion for learning, a commitment to community, and the determination to make a difference.