Women’s college admissions and retention policies pertaining to transgender students: a comprehensive analysis

Abstract

The growing visibility of transgender youth has led to increased attention on access to traditionally single-sex spaces—including those in higher education. One area that has sparked controversy is whether, and which, transgender students belong at women’s colleges. To assess the current status of this issue, women’s college policies around admitting and graduating transgender students were obtained for 33 of the 34 women’s colleges in the United States. Applications from transgender women would be considered by 21 schools solely on the basis of self-identification, six after specified types of transition, and three with unclear requirements. Transgender men could apply to six schools without limitations and five under limited circumstances. Seven schools required men who transitioned after admission to leave the college or transfer into a coeducational program. Schools with public facing gender policies, non-religious schools, and schools located in the Northeast were significantly less likely to restrict access to transgender students. This lack of consistency reflects the shifting sands of how gender identity is conceptualized in higher education. We recommend that women’s colleges examine how problematic discourses of sex and gender affect their policy development and explicitly address whether their policies on transgender students empower or imperil their missions.