In a clarification of its admissions policy, Smith College has announced that it will begin accepting undergraduate applicants who consider themselves to be transgender women. The decision, approved by the college's Board of Trustees on Saturday, "affirms Smith's unwavering mission and identity as a women's college, our commitment to representing the diversity of women’s lived experiences, and the college's exceptional role in the advancement of women worldwide," the college said in a statement on its website.
The decision came after a yearlong policy review by the board and an appointed study group. The new policy applies to students applying in the fall of 2015 and thereafter.
A number of other women's colleges have adopted a more-inclusive stance toward transgender applicants in recent years, including Mount Holyoke College, in Massachusetts, and Mills College, in California.
Read more at The Chronicle of Higher Education: http://chronicle.com/blogs/ticker/smith-college-to-accept-transgender-applicants/98297