Swelling and phase equilibria of polymer networks in a low molecular mass liquid crystal (LC) have been investigated as a function of network nematicity. LC networks with varying nematicity were prepared by copolymerization of mixtures of mesogenic monomers and non-mesomorphic (styrene) monomers with various compositions. Molar fraction of mesogenic monomer (x) in copolymer network strongly influences the swelling behavior as well as the nematic-isotropic (N-I) transitions in both dry and swollen states. The swollen networks of sufficiently high x with strong nematicity exhibit a sharp N-I transition and simultaneously undergo a discontinuous change in gel volume, i.e. volume phase transition. Meanwhile, the swollen networks of x less than or equal to 0.8 with less nematicity show a broad N-I transition, and the resulting volume change proceeds continuously over a finite temperature range. When x decreases further down to less than 0.5, the nematicity of the dry networks vanishes. The nematic ordering in the swollen copolymer networks of x < 0.5 occurs at the same temperature as the N-I transition temperature of the pure nematic solvent (T-NI(S)), which yields the inflection in the swelling-temperature curve. A mean field theory considering network nematicity as a variable describes the effects of x on volume phase transition such as a shift of T-NI(G) and a change in the magnitude of volume transition, apart from the emergence of continuous volume transition due to the broad N-I transition. The purely isotropic network of x = 0 appreciably swells in the nematic solvent. The solvent inside the gel forms the nematic phase at the temperatures below T-NI(S)* (= T-NI(S) - 2degreesC), which conflicts with the classical theoretical prediction that nematic ordering of LC solvent in fully swollen isotropic network never occurs. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.