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High school can be especially challenging for the\u00a02%-3% of U.S. teens<\/a>\u00a0who identify as transgender, or trans. They disproportionately experience\u00a0harassment and victimization<\/a>\u00a0by their peers and\u00a0rejection by family members<\/a>.<\/p>\n Entering an affirming and inclusive college environment can help set trans youth on a path of personal, academic and professional success.<\/p>\n A trans-affirming college can also be transformative for trans students who did not feel comfortable being out in high school, as well as those who do not begin to explore their gender identity until college.<\/p>\n My research with\u00a0507 trans and gender-nonconforming students<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 75% undergraduate, 25% graduate \u2013 examined which college policies and supports trans students most valued. I also looked at how these policies created a sense of belonging on campus.<\/p>\n I found that religiously affiliated colleges and community colleges tended to be less inclusive of trans students. Also, knowing that a school had trans-inclusive policies and supports led to a greater feeling of belonging and better perception of the campus climate. The students listed gender-inclusive restrooms, nondiscrimination policies that include gender identity and the ability to easily change one\u2019s name on campus records as supports they valued most.<\/p>\n Based on these findings, here are a few key concrete things that trans students \u2013 and their families \u2013 may want to consider in the college exploration process.<\/p>\n Trans students can look for whether most campus buildings \u2013 especially those with heavy traffic, such as the campus center \u2013 have gender-inclusive restrooms. These may also be called gender-neutral or all-gender restrooms.<\/p>\n Bonus points go to institutions whose gender-inclusive restrooms have multiple stalls to accommodate more people, and to those that have committed to constructing gender-inclusive restrooms\u00a0in all new buildings<\/a>. Athletic facilities, meanwhile, ideally have private changing facilities and private showers.<\/p>\n This kind of systemic inclusion can support\u00a0students\u2019 mental health<\/a>\u00a0and academic achievement. For example, one study found that not having access to inclusive and comfortable restrooms was associated with\u00a0poorer academic performance<\/a>.<\/p>\n Gender-inclusive restrooms are one of the key college policies that trans students most value. Toby Talbot\/AP<\/p><\/div>\n Gender-inclusive housing refers to the ability to be housed in keeping with one\u2019s gender identity, and to choose whom to room with \u2013 among returning students, at least \u2013 regardless of gender. According to Campus Pride, a nonprofit network of LGBTQ student leaders and campus groups,\u00a0271 colleges and universities<\/a>\u00a0in the U.S. have gender-inclusive housing.<\/p>\n Prospective students may want to look at schools\u2019 nondiscrimination policies to make sure they explicitly include gender identity and expression. Here\u2019s\u00a0a list<\/a>\u00a0of the 1,071 colleges and universities that currently do. Such policies protect trans students from discrimination on the basis of gender identity and expression, and serve to symbolize the institutions\u2019 commitment to fairness and equity.<\/p>\n Prospective students may also want to investigate whether institutions allow students to\u00a0use a chosen first name<\/a>, instead of their legal name, on campus records, ID cards, course rosters and other documents. According to Campus Pride,\u00a0265 colleges and universities<\/a>\u00a0in the U.S. currently allow students to do this, and an additional 43 allow students to indicate their pronouns on course rosters.<\/p>\n Campus health care centers may or may not serve trans students\u2019 needs, such as prescribing and overseeing hormone treatments. Likewise, trans students should find out whether the student health insurance covers trans-affirming medical care.<\/p>\n Campus Pride reports that 89 colleges and universities currently\u00a0cover hormones and gender-affirming surgeries<\/a>\u00a0in their student health insurance plans, while 23 cover hormones alone.<\/p>\n According to the Cooperative Institutional Research Program Freshman Survey, incoming trans college students tend to report\u00a0poorer emotional health<\/a>\u00a0than their peers who are cisgender, or cis \u2013 meaning their gender identity aligns with their assigned sex at birth. They are also more\u00a0likely to anticipate seeking counseling<\/a>\u00a0while in college. Therefore it may be important that the student counseling center is explicitly inclusive of trans people. This means, for example, having a counselor who identifies as trans, or at least a counselor trained on the needs and experiences of trans people.<\/p>\n Prospective students can also find out whether there is a campus LGBTQ student center or group, ideally with affiliate groups or clubs \u2013 for example, for trans students or queer students of color. It\u2019s important to note that more niche groups may be harder to find at smaller institutions.<\/p>\n Some institutions offer or require\u00a0training for staff, faculty and even students<\/a>, such as peer advisers and student orientation leaders, on gender identity and the experiences of trans people. The level of awareness a campus community has about trans issues and people is closely related to classroom and campus climate for trans students.<\/p>\n My research has found that nonbinary students \u2013 those whose gender identities lie outside the male\/female gender binary, as opposed to trans men and trans women \u2013 also face\u00a0heightened and unique challenges<\/a>\u00a0in college. They report chronic misgendering \u2013 being referred to as she\/her or he\/him instead of they\/them \u2013 as well as an inability to accurately represent themselves\u00a0on forms and paperwork<\/a>.<\/p>\n Students may also be interested in examining whether faculty teach courses that are trans-inclusive and affirming, such as\u00a0trans history<\/a>\u00a0or trans literature. They can also look to see if the school has faculty research centers that\u00a0focus on trans experiences<\/a>.<\/p>\n Trans students often enter college with\u00a0more financial concerns<\/a>\u00a0than their cis peers. These may relate to hormone treatments and gender confirmation surgeries in addition to funding their college education.<\/p>\n Further, trans students are more likely to report\u00a0needing to work full-time<\/a>\u00a0during college, and also receiving\u00a0more financial aid<\/a>\u00a0than cis students.<\/p>\n Some schools have an\u00a0emergency fund for trans students<\/a>\u00a0in need of basic assistance, or other free on-campus resources such as \u201cclothing closets<\/a>\u201d for trans and gender-noncomforming students.<\/p>\n A number of other markers of trans inclusion can be harder to immediately assess.<\/p>\n Prospective students can ask tour guides and student ambassadors about whether there are any trans people in student government, the overall climate for trans students and whether campus events frequently include\u00a0issues of interest to trans students<\/a>, including trans speakers.<\/p>\n Gender-inclusive housing refers to the ability to be housed in keeping with one\u2019s gender identity, and to choose whom to room with \u2013 among returning students, at least \u2013 regardless of gender. According to Campus Pride, a nonprofit network of LGBTQ student leaders and campus groups,\u00a0271 colleges and universities<\/a>\u00a0in the U.S. have gender-inclusive housing.<\/p>\n Prospective students may want to look at schools\u2019 nondiscrimination policies to make sure they explicitly include gender identity and expression. Here\u2019s\u00a0a list<\/a>\u00a0of the 1,071 colleges and universities that currently do. Such policies protect trans students from discrimination on the basis of gender identity and expression, and serve to symbolize the institutions\u2019 commitment to fairness and equity.<\/p>\n Prospective students may also want to investigate whether institutions allow students to\u00a0use a chosen first name<\/a>, instead of their legal name, on campus records, ID cards, course rosters and other documents. According to Campus Pride,\u00a0265 colleges and universities<\/a>\u00a0in the U.S. currently allow students to do this, and an additional 43 allow students to indicate their pronouns on course rosters.<\/p>\n Campus health care centers may or may not serve trans students\u2019 needs, such as prescribing and overseeing hormone treatments. Likewise, trans students should find out whether the student health insurance covers trans-affirming medical care.<\/p>\n Campus Pride reports that 89 colleges and universities currently\u00a0cover hormones and gender-affirming surgeries<\/a>\u00a0in their student health insurance plans, while 23 cover hormones alone.<\/p>\n According to the Cooperative Institutional Research Program Freshman Survey, incoming trans college students tend to report\u00a0poorer emotional health<\/a>\u00a0than their peers who are cisgender, or cis \u2013 meaning their gender identity aligns with their assigned sex at birth. They are also more\u00a0likely to anticipate seeking counseling<\/a>\u00a0while in college. Therefore it may be important that the student counseling center is explicitly inclusive of trans people. This means, for example, having a counselor who identifies as trans, or at least a counselor trained on the needs and experiences of trans people.<\/p>\n Prospective students can also find out whether there is a campus LGBTQ student center or group, ideally with affiliate groups or clubs \u2013 for example, for trans students or queer students of color. It\u2019s important to note that more niche groups may be harder to find at smaller institutions.<\/p>\n Some institutions offer or require\u00a0training for staff, faculty and even students<\/a>, such as peer advisers and student orientation leaders, on gender identity and the experiences of trans people. The level of awareness a campus community has about trans issues and people is closely related to classroom and campus climate for trans students.<\/p>\n My research has found that nonbinary students \u2013 those whose gender identities lie outside the male\/female gender binary, as opposed to trans men and trans women \u2013 also face\u00a0heightened and unique challenges<\/a>\u00a0in college. They report chronic misgendering \u2013 being referred to as she\/her or he\/him instead of they\/them \u2013 as well as an inability to accurately represent themselves\u00a0on forms and paperwork<\/a>.<\/p>\n Students may also be interested in examining whether faculty teach courses that are trans-inclusive and affirming, such as\u00a0trans history<\/a>\u00a0or trans literature. They can also look to see if the school has faculty research centers that\u00a0focus on trans experiences<\/a>.<\/p>\n Trans students often enter college with\u00a0more financial concerns<\/a>\u00a0than their cis peers. These may relate to hormone treatments and gender confirmation surgeries in addition to funding their college education.<\/p>\n Further, trans students are more likely to report\u00a0needing to work full-time<\/a>\u00a0during college, and also receiving\u00a0more financial aid<\/a>\u00a0than cis students.<\/p>\n Some schools have an\u00a0emergency fund for trans students<\/a>\u00a0in need of basic assistance, or other free on-campus resources such as \u201cclothing closets<\/a>\u201d for trans and gender-noncomforming students.<\/p>\n A number of other markers of trans inclusion can be harder to immediately assess.<\/p>\n Prospective students can ask tour guides and student ambassadors about whether there are any trans people in student government, the overall climate for trans students and whether campus events frequently include\u00a0issues of interest to trans students<\/a>, including trans speakers.<\/p>\nGender-inclusive restrooms<\/strong><\/h4>\n
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Gender-inclusive housing<\/strong><\/h4>\n
Nondiscrimination policies<\/strong><\/h4>\n
Chosen name and pronouns options<\/strong><\/h4>\n
Health and counseling services<\/strong><\/h4>\n
Affinity groups<\/strong><\/h4>\n
Training on gender identity<\/strong><\/h4>\n
Coursework and research opportunities<\/strong><\/h4>\n
Financial and material support<\/strong><\/h4>\n
Other questions to ask<\/strong><\/h4>\n
Gender-inclusive housing<\/strong><\/h4>\n
Nondiscrimination policies<\/strong><\/h4>\n
Chosen name and pronouns options<\/strong><\/h4>\n
Health and counseling services<\/strong><\/h4>\n
Affinity groups<\/strong><\/h4>\n
Training on gender identity<\/strong><\/h4>\n
Coursework and research opportunities<\/strong><\/h4>\n
Financial and material support<\/strong><\/h4>\n
Other questions to ask<\/strong><\/h4>\n