Mississippi University for Women v. Hogan - Vestiges Of Old South

However, the Mississippi University for Women was a single-sex school, and its nursing program was open only to women, though men were allowed to audit courses. The state-funded institution was founded in 1884 as the Mississippi Industrial Institute and College for the Education of White Girls of the State of Mississippi. It was the first women-only, state-supported school in the country, though private single-sex institutions were quite common. (At the time of the Hogan case, the only other single-sex, state-funded university in the United States was Texas Women's University, which already had a co-educational nursing school.) Mississippi University for Women's school of nursing was founded in 1971, and had been offering Mississippi women a four-year degree in the profession since 1974. The nearest co-educational nursing program was 147 miles away. Hogan's application for admission to the Mississippi University for Women was rejected on the basis of his gender, though he had met the other requirements. School officials suggested he audit courses.