For trans and non-binary students, applying to and studying at university can come with additional challenges that make academic success and belonging tougher goals to achieve. According to new research by the Higher Education Policy Institute in the UK, trans people are much more likely to have experienced the care system, and both trans and non-binary students have higher rates of disability, financial challenges and levels of loneliness than their peers.

The report reveals that trans and non-binary applicants feel less prepared for higher education, while research by TransEDU Scotland reported that over 50 percent of trans students have considered dropping out, while 24 percent have dropped out.

Despite growing allyship for the LGBTQ+ community in recent years, discrimination and hate crimes have swelled too. Two in five trans people have experienced a hate crime or incident because of their gender identity, and 60 percent of trans and non-binary students have been targeted with negative comments or conduct from other students.

Understanding trans and non-binary experiences

According to HEPI’s research on trans and non-binary student experiences in higher education, nearly two-fifths (39 percent) of trans people are estimated to be traditional university age for some or all the time they are transitioning.

Dana is a mentor for the trans and non-binary peer mentorship programme at the University of Bristol and, as a trans person herself, can relate to other trans students about their experiences. “A lot of our mentees are navigating leaving home and moving to university – likely to be one of the biggest changes of their life up to this point – and often facing early transition or a shift in their gender expression,” Dana says.

“Trans and queer visibility has exploded in recent years and university LGBTQ+ groups have grown significantly, though I’ve mentored people who feel isolated from trans and queer communities and feel they have to endure and accept the mild transphobia of those around them. Universities have a responsibility to support their students, and we have evidence that the community is in real need of support that universities are not providing adequately.”

The impact of real support

Key themes emerge in research that looks at the support trans, non-binary and gender diverse students require to thrive. The ability to change names and pronouns in official systems, safe spaces on campus and guidance on reporting harassment feature prominently.

Sofi studies at Universidad de Buenos Aires in Argentina’s most LGBTQ+ friendly city and began her transition while studying. Sofi and her friends have faced misunderstanding and misgendering from staff and students, and anxiety in taking up space on-campus. Though, Sofi has also experienced genuine support from a faculty that listens to students’ needs.

She says: “At the Universidad de Buenos Aires, students have a say in the decisions made by the university. I presented to the university about the dilemma trans and non-binary students face in gendered bathrooms and soon after, the university created gender-neutral bathrooms. When it came to changing my name, I filled out a form and in two weeks, I entered the virtual campus where course materials are stored, and it was changed. Professors no longer referred to me by my dead name.”

Aster is a student at the University of Bristol and mentee in the school’s peer mentorship programme. As a non-binary student, they have experienced the positive impact that peer support can provide alongside university support services. “I get to speak to someone who understands gender dysphoria and has come through the other side. I have someone I can celebrate little wins with, whether that’s positive moments of gender expression or when lecturers used my correct pronouns. It's helped me to grow a lot,” says Aster.

Creating a blueprint of support for trans and non-binary students

Delivering comprehensive support for students costs time, money and resources but is vital to ensure that academic success and belonging are inclusive experiences for the entire student body. With the guidance of the students and professionals featured in this article, here are six steps universities can take to create real support for trans and non-binary students in higher education:

1) Acknowledge disparity and intersectionality

Evidence shows that there is disparity in terms of student outcomes, student university experience and quality of life for trans and non-binary students. Acknowledging this disparity across the institution is the first step before meaningful work can be delivered.

With so many trans and non-binary young people having a disability or mental health condition, or having been in care, as HEPI highlights in its recent report, supporting trans and non-binary students requires an intersectional approach that considers the complete spectrum of each student's needs.

2) Understand student needs

Research from policy makers like HEPI can be a helpful first step to understanding the experiences of trans and non-binary students, but for Simms, understanding your own students’ needs requires “clear communication channels, so that the university knows how to engage with their trans and non-binary students and students know how to raise concerns with the university.” This might look like working with the students’ union and staff and student LGBTQ+ networks.

3) Take a university-wide approach

“If we just launched a peer-mentoring programme at the University of Bristol and hoped students will be OK, we’re just putting a band aid over the situation,” O’Driscoll says. “This doesn’t work if you simply run one initiative or programme. Universities must engage with the community as much as possible to co-create services and to provide training and guidance for students and staff.”

4) Include trans and non-binary representation in delivery

With students attuned to ‘rainbow tokenism’ and performative allyship, “it’s important to have trans and non-binary representation on the delivery side too”, explains Ion. “Having people with lived experiences designing and delivering the support shows the university is invested in student care and isn’t performing a tick-box exercise.”

At the University of Buenos Aires, Sofi has experienced non-binary professors and said that the university is actively hiring trans teaching staff. “It’s really cool and blew my mind to have that representation.”

5) Be mindful of mental and emotional labour

The mental and emotional labour on marginalised communities to re-live their experiences to help universities understand can be huge, says Simms. “Universities must ensure that the amount of labour they’re asking for to make change isn’t an ordeal for the community. Ultimately, that will help in building trust.”

6) Build trust

Trust takes time and requires students to see positive change that has come from the issues and experiences they’ve raised. Simms adds: “Our research shows that there is collective anxiety about the societal backlash the LGBTQ+ community faces and how easily institutions retreat from their allyship when they face backlash. They want to know that their university will really stand by them.”

Dana said: “Providing real, collaborative support is one of the most concrete and tangible things a university can do to begin to reverse the structure inequalities that will have already affected students well before their first day of University.”

*For privacy, we have only included the first names of the students featured in this article.