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News

One of the Oldest U.S. Women's Colleges Will Now Accept Trans Students

Students identifying as female or non-binary will be allowed to enroll beginning fall 2019.

Rachel Kiley

Rachel Kiley is presumably a writer and definitely not a terminator. She can usually be found crying over queerbaiting in the Pitch Perfect franchise or on Twitter, if not both.

Read Full Bio

Rachel Kiley

rachelkiley

December 29 2018 2:43 PM EST

December 09 2022 9:12 AM EST

The second-oldest women’s college in the U.S. has changed their policy to allow a broader, more accurate definition of “women” when admitting new students.

As of fall 2019, Stephens College will admit both transgender students who identify as female and non-binary students who were assigned female at birth.

“The world’s understand of and definition of womanhood is changing. Stephens is evolving — just as it always has — to ensure that it continues to provide the extraordinary experience of a Stephens College education to all women who will seek and benefit from it,” said a statement released by the school.

The college also says it will “no longer admit or enroll students who identify as non-binary but who are transitioning to male,” or transgender men in general, as it had in the past, though these new policies will not impact students already enrolled at the school.

These changes have reportedly been under consideration for several years at Stephens, and the administration spent time from 2017 to 2018 deliberating and discussing potential policy changes in regards to gender and identity with students and staff.

Stephens isn’t the first women’s college in the U.S. to recognize that trans women should have an equal shot at admission as cis women. Several well-known schools, such as Wellesley and Bryn Mawr have previously adapted new policies accepting trans students, with at least eight schools in total making the change.