MORNINGSIDE HEIGHTS — Barnard College announced Thursday that it is joining a growing number of women's colleges to accept transgender women as part of a revised admissions policy.
The Board of Trustees at the 125-year-old women's college voted Wednesday to consider "applicants who consistently live and identify as women, regardless of the gender assigned to them at birth," after a yearlong discussion of the policy at the college, the school said in a statement.
The decision came "in recognition of our changing world and evolving understanding of gender identity," the statement continued.
Students, faculty and community members participated in forums, surveys and town halls this past year on the issue. The majority wanted Barnard to reiterate its commitment to serving only women and to include transgender women as part of the community, said Joanne Kwong, vice president for communications at the college.
Transgender women applying for admission must fully identify as female, the school said. Transgender men and students who do not identify with a gender will not be admitted, according to the new policy. However, those who transition to male or non-gendered while at Barnard will be welcome to stay at the school.
The policy goes into effect for students applying for admission for fall 2016, the school said.
