Established: 1879

Radcliffe College was a private women's college situated in Cambridge, Massachusetts. On October 1, 1999, Radcliffe College stopped admitting undergraduate students, and officially merged with Harvard College to form the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard. Radcliffe was particularly known for its intellectual student body. Several artists such as Josephine Hull (Oscar-winning stage and film actress) and Bonnie Raitt (American blues musician) are Radcliffe alumni.

Established: 1885

Bryn Mawr College is a private college for women situated in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. It offers more than 60 academic programs, including dual degree programs (a combination of Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science) in partnership with Caltech and Columbia University.

The U.S. News & World Report 2017 ranked Bryn Mawr the 31st in the best liberal arts colleges list.

Notable alumni of the college include Katherine Hepburn (Academy award winning actress) and Andrea Portes (bestselling American novelist).

Established: 1875

Smith College is also a private women's college situated in Northampton, Massachusetts. Apart from on-campus courses, Smith also runs its own year-abroad programs in four European cities - Paris, Hamburg, Florence and Geneva. Smith is the first female college to offer its own undergraduate engineering degree.

The U.S. News & World Report 2017 ranked Smith the 12th best liberal arts college (tied with Vassar). Notable alumni of the college include Nancy Reagan (Former First Lady of the United States) and Gloria Steinem (Feminist, activist and journalist).

Established: 1875

Wellesley is a private women's college located in the town of Wellesley, Massachusetts. The college offers 56 departmental and interdepartmental courses as well as dual degree programs in partnership with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Olin College of Engineering. Thus, students have an opportunity to earn a Bachelor of Science degree, along with a Bachelor of Arts degree.

The U.S. News & World Report 2017 ranked Wellesley the 3rd best liberal arts college. Notable alumni include Hillary Clinton (former US Secretary of State and the Democratic Party nominee for the 2016 Presidential election) and Soong Mei-ling (the former First Lady of China).

Established: 1865

Founded as a private women's college, Vassar became co-educational in 1969. Situated in Poughkeepsie, New York, Vassar's campus comprises of two National Historic Landmarks, as well as an arboretum and an ecological preserve.

The U.S. News & World Report 2017 ranked Vassar the 12th best liberal arts college. Notable alumni include Meryl Streep (Academy Award-winning actress) and Lisa Kudrow (Emmy Award-winning actress).

Established: 1837

The first of the Seven Sisters colleges, Mount Holyoke is situated in South Hadley, Massachusetts. The U.S. News & World Report 2017 ranked Mount Holyoke the 36th best liberal arts college in the U.S. The college offers 50 departmental and interdepartmental majors, a majority of them lead to a Bachelor of Arts degree.

Notable alumni of the college include Dulcy Singer (Emmy Award winning producer of Sesame Street) and Sonali Gulati (Filmmaker and director of the film Nalini by Day, Nancy by Night).

Established: 1889

This is also a private women's college in Manhattan, New York. One of the world's oldest women's colleges, it was founded by author Annie Nathan Meyer, as Columbia University refused to admit women. Later, Columbia became co-ed but Barnard remained independent. However, Barnard is closely affiliated with Columbia.

Barnard offers BA degrees in about 50 areas of study. The US News & World Report 2017 ranked it as the 29th best liberal arts college in the US. Notable alumni include businesswoman Martha Stewart and comedienne and TV personality Joan Rivers.