Mary Baldwin College for Women

The Mary Baldwin College for Women is a one-of-a-kind program focused on preparing women to be leaders. Drawing on the long legacy of Mary Baldwin as an institution dedicated to empowering women, the college for women offers women-centered programming relevant to current events, and experiential learning to build confidence and empathy.

College for women students learn within the co-ed community of Mary Baldwin University but have access to unique experiences and opportunities to help them galvanize and uplift their community. It’s a distinctive community,  but also an integral piece of the larger university, shaping and creating the culture of MBU.

A History of Success, A Lab for Leadership

For over 180 years, Mary Baldwin University has empowered generations of women leaders. We’re incredibly proud of our alums, because they’ve been using the tools they acquired at MBU to change the world for almost two centuries.

The college for women continues that legacy, serving as a lab for leadership. As a women-centered program at a co-ed university, it stresses equity while giving our students leadership experience in real-world environments that prepare them for the world that awaits after graduation.

We look for extraordinary students because we offer an extraordinary program. Leaders, renegades, and trailblazers will find themselves at home in the Mary Baldwin College for Women.

New Experiences, Exceptional Opportunities

In addition to the excellence of an MBU education, students in the college for women receive benefits and opportunities to power up their already remarkable set of skills and abilities. 

The Mary Baldwin College for Women is also home to some of the most vital and dynamic programs on campus.

Commencement events

Ida B. Wells Living-Learning Community

Named for the noted civil rights activist, suffragist, and journalist, the Ida B. Wells Living Learning Community is for women of African descent who want to explore culture, identity, leadership, and civic engagement as the foundation for their active participation in the college community. A program of the Office of Inclusive Excellence, Ida B. Wells students participate in community service programming and experience unique alumnae mentoring opportunities.

Virginia Women’s Institute for Leadership (VWIL)

The only all-women corps of cadets in the nation, the Virginia Women’s Institute for Leadership pairs leadership training with military preparation, fitness improvement, academic success, and community service. Some students in VWIL commission into the armed forces, while others plan for a civilian career. All VWIL women thrive on discipline, camaraderie, and scholarship.

Program for the Exceptionally Gifted (PEG)

The Program for the Exceptionally Gifted is an immersive academic experience for girls as young as age 13. It offers bright and dedicated young scholars a chance to be a part of a peer group of girls who love to learn. PEG students live in a supervised, all women’s residence hall supported by a team that specializes in educating gifted youth. PEG students take classes alongside MBU undergraduates and earn a four-year college degree to get a jump start on graduate school or their career.

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