Wellesley, a liberal arts college for Women located outside of Boston, announced in a letter to the school community Thursday that it would begin accepting transgender women.
The decision was lauded by many students, alumni, professors, and faculty, but others said it did not go far enough to be inclusive, the Boston Globe reported.
The letter said anyone who "lives as a woman and consistently identifies as a woman" would be considered for admission. It also said anyone who is considered a female at birth who identifies as neither male nor female is eligible.
Those who identify as men are not eligible for admission. The letter said any students who no longer identify as women will be allowed to graduate, but those who wish to transfer out of Wellesley will be assisted by the school.
The policy was approved Wednesday by Wellesley's Board of Trustees. It will go into effect for the next admission cycle for the class of 2020.
Many in the Wellesley community applauded the new policy, while others thought it was not complete.
Hana Glasser, a senior and student government president at Wellesley, told the Boston Globe that the discussion of whether to change the policy was prevalent across campus during the year. She said many students were relieved to know the college's stance.
Some felt that Wellesley's new policy was not entirely inclusive. It can be challenging for someone to consistently live as a woman before college, Genny Beemyn, director of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender resource center at UMass Amherst, said to the Globe.
"Even if you have very supportive parents, it's often very hard to be out in high school," they said.
The specific language "living as women" raised concerns that the school could reject trans women for inconsequential reasons.
Wellesley's decision follows a growing number of women's colleges that have created new admissions policies.
Mount Holyoke in South Hadley, Massachusetts, Simmons College in Boston, and Mills College in California have all made policy changes to accept transgender women.
Bryn Mawr College, located near Philadelphia, announced in February that all transgender students would be allowed to enroll at the school.
Smith College, in Northampton, Massachusetts, is currently considering what to do about its admissions policy. The school came under fire after denying an application from a trans student, because she was not legally recognized as female by her home state.