Smith College Will Start Accepting Transgender Women Next Fall

Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts has joined the list of schools embracing gender equality by welcoming female transgender applicants. 

The women's university tweeted out the news this weekend saying,

This means that beginning in the fall of 2015, Smith College will be accepting applications from transgender students who identify as women.

The University even released a FAQ sheet to answer all the questions applicants and others may have with one stop on their website.

Committee members on the Smith College Board of Trustees have been deliberating for more than a year on this change and even met with students and faculty as well as alumnae from around the world before reaching their decision.

University president Kathleen McCartney released a statement on the announcement saying,

As we reflect on how Smith lives its values – a commitment to access and diversity, to respecting the dignity of every individual, and to educating women for leadership across all realms of society – we will be called, in changing times, to consider anew how we will choose to be a women's college."

The university says applicants must still select "female" as their gender on the Common Application in order to be eligible, but the change will not affect those who transition during their time at Smith.