Common App Again Changes Its Language

Last year, the Common Application announced changes to better serve transgender students. The application added a question to provide applicants with the option to share their preferred first name, added a pronoun question that gives students the option to select multiple options or add their pronoun set, and shifted the presentation of a question from “sex” to “legal sex” to reduce student confusion. (Colleges are required to ask students’ legal name and sex to meet reporting laws.)

Now the Common App is making additional changes to accommodate transgender applicants.

Beginning with the 2022–23 application season, the Common App will add “Mx.” and “other” options for counselor, parent, recommender, teacher and adviser prefix options, as well as add “legal” to the first/given name question label. And beginning in the 2023–24 application season, Common App will add “X” or “another legal sex” as an option in addition to “female” and “male.”

“These shifts represent the next step in an ongoing effort to create an equitable, just and inclusive college admission process for all students—no matter how they identify,” said Jenny Rickard, president and chief executive officer of the Common App. “In order to fulfill the promise of higher education as a pathway to economic opportunity, it’s incumbent upon colleges, universities and organizations at every step of the admission experience to remove barriers that may prevent students from pursuing the next step in their educational journey.”

The change also was praised by Campus Pride, a group that focuses on gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender students in higher education.

“These changes represent a holistic, intersectional approach to all students and allows campuses to take responsibility for trans and nonbinary students,” said Shane Windmeyer, CEO and executive director of Campus Pride. “At a time when trans youth are being targeted across the country in the most inhumane ways, the Common App announcement sends a clear message that trans people deserve recognition, respect, and, most importantly, their inclusion and safety matters.”

The Common App will also expand the question about eligibility for the fee waiver the service offers. It will list all of the criteria for getting a fee waiver, having heard that some who qualify for the waiver aren’t applying.

Other Applications

While the Common App has the largest number of U.S. colleges that accepts its application for admissions, with more than 900 members, it does have competition. The other application services are also working to make their applications more inclusive and welcoming for transgender students.

The Coalition for College’s application last year made a series of changes, according to Amanda Waite, its director of communications. Under pronouns, the choices now include “they, them, theirs” and “my pronouns aren’t listed.”

And after a question about student’s legal sex, there is another question, on gender identity. Students may pick from “woman,” “man,” “nonbinary,” “additional gender category” and “prefer not to disclose.”

The Universal College Application also has made changes for transgender applicants. It asks applicants for both their “legal name” and “preferred name.” And it asks applicants their legal sex and their gender identity. For the latter question, applicants may select “man,” “woman” or they may self-identify (and give another answer).