Colleges Strive To Better Support Trans Students – Common Applications Will Now Allow Students To Choose Their Gender Identity
Genny Beemyn, University of Massachusetts Amherst
Since its inception in 1975, the Common Application, the undergraduate admissions application used by more than 900 colleges, has required students to provide their “sex,” with only “male” and “female” as choices. But starting in August 2021, the Common App is also asking students their gender identities and the names and pronouns they go by.
As a researcher who specializes in studying the experiences of transgender college students, I believe these changes represent a much-needed opportunity for colleges and universities that use the Common App to acknowledge and respect the gender identities of their trans students.
The changes mean that some colleges will have information about their trans students for the first time. Other institutio...