The Supreme Court of Virginia ruled this morning in favor of Randolph College in two cases brought by students and donors upset at the institution’s decision to start admitting men.

The court upheld the Lynchburg Circuit Court, which had dismissed both lawsuits against the college, formerly Randolph-Macon Woman’s College.

In one case, a group of students accused the college of a breach of contract, arguing that when they were accepted and paid tuition to Randolph-Macon, they were promised four years of education at a women’s college. In one of today’s rulings, a five-justice majority of the Supreme Court said that no contract containing a definite and specific promise to operate an all-female college existed. Two justices dissented.

In a second case, the court ruled unanimously against students and alumni donors who argued that all gifts to Randolph-Macon Woman’s College had been intended to support an all-female institution. The justices ruled that the law codes cited by the plaintiffs to make their case did not apply to the college. —Kathryn Masterson