Trans and non-binary students are more likely to experience financial hardship

Trans and non-binary students are more likely than the average student to be care-experienced, have a disability, have a mental health condition, and be estranged from family, as published in a collation of existing survey data to assess what we currently know about the experience of trans and non-binary students, by the Higher Education Policy Institution (HEPI).

Nearly a quarter (24 per cent) of trans applicants have experience of care against four per cent of non-trans applicants. Additionally, trans applicants had, on average, lower grades in A level or BTEC qualifications than non-trans peers. Both trans and non-binary applicants consider themselves less prepared for higher education.

The report urges institutions to account for these characteristics’ intersectional nature, which may come with additional challenges for the student while at university.

For instance, trans and non-binary students face financial challenges during their studies for a multitude of reasons. Some of this is because of estrangement from family and lack of access to familial financial support. There are also challenges around struggling to afford gender-affirming medical care. Access to hormonal treatments or private healthcare that is essential to their overall well-being and support to transition is costly. For young people who do decide to undergo a medical procedure, the situation is not straightforward, nor necessarily accessible through the NHS. England’s sole state-run youth gender clinic Tavistock has now closed after being rated inadequate and two new centres – one in the Northwest and one in London – have opened, but waiting times remain long.

One recommendation is that there should be training for advisors to understand the complexities of trans and non-binary students’ lives. Also, eligibility checks for hardship funds should be reviewed. These processes often include an invasive review of students’ bank statements and purchase history, and universities should not count any savings set aside for gender-affirming healthcare as accessible funds students can draw upon to cover other costs.

The work students unions have been doing to create “swap shops” and “trans expression funds” to provide trans and non-binary students a space to try new clothes or access funds to buy essential items that will make them more comfortable with their gender presentation is also key to ensuring these students don’t face additional financial burdens because of their identity.

Data included in this report is gathered from various student surveys over the past few years, including the National LGBT Survey, Census data, Unite Students Applicant Index, HESA data as well as semi-structured interviews designed by HEPI with some trans and non-binary students. As the report advises, students answer to questions like HESA’s “Is your gender identity the same as the gender you were originally assigned at birth?” Or Unite’s “Do you consider yourself to be trans?” will vary depending on the exact wording of the question, so caution is needed when comparing data from different sources.

Drawing on data from the 2021 UCAS survey comparing the experiences of trans students with LGB+ students and those who are not LGBT+, trans applicants more often come from the most disadvantaged areas (18 per cent) than applicants who are not LGBT+ (13 per cent). About 16 per cent of trans students have a black or minority ethnic (BAME) background, which is the same proportion as LGB+ students but a smaller proportion than of students who are not LGBT+, of whom 29 per cent are BAME.

Nearly half of trans applicants (47 per cent) declared a disability, and over a fifth (22 per cent) declared a mental health condition, which is significantly higher than other groups. Yet, trans students are more likely to tell their university about their disability than their peers, with 70 per cent of disabled trans students declaring compared to 55 per cent of non-trans disabled students. It’s vital that disability services are trained to support the unique needs of this group of students and can be sensitive to these students’ experiences when assessing their needs.

Despite generally coming from more disadvantaged backgrounds, a higher proportion of trans applicants have attended private fee-paying education (16 per cent) than applicants who are not trans (nine per cent). This may be because a higher proportion of students in fee-paying schools are trans than state-funded schools, but intuitively it is more likely to be because trans students in fee-paying schools apply to higher education at a higher rate overall.

Students in interviews also said that the climate of negative attitudes towards trans people in the UK that is “actively hostile” left them feeling that they were being “scapegoated for just existing” by the government and media.

Trans students’ sense of self and overall confidence is also worryingly low. When asked whether they feel loved in the Unite Applicant Index, less than half (47 per cent) of trans students agreed, compared to 72 per cent of non-trans students. Similarly, the number who said they feel rejected by others was over double (56 vs 26 per cent) than non-trans students. Again only a fifth (22 per cent) of applicants who are not trans say they “feel ashamed”, and this rises to over half (56 per cent) of trans applicants.

This means any support institutions can provide both individually and in ensuring a welcoming and safe environment for trans students to build their confidence is vital.

It’s worth noting that on some questions such as life satisfaction, the gap in wellbeing between trans and non-binary students and students who are not trans and non-binary, decreases while students are studying. This suggests institutions are doing something right in making the university a safe and welcoming environment for students to explore their individuality through study or extracurricular activities, as this gap reappears or increases once students leave higher education.

There are difficulties to acknowledge here for institutions when it comes to creating inclusive and safe spaces for trans and non-binary students while abiding by legal duties under both equality and free speech legislation.

Gender-critical beliefs are protected under the Equality Act provided they meet the Grainger criteria for whether a belief qualifies as a philosophical belief – institutions must act to ensure colleagues are protected from harassment and discrimination because of those beliefs. However, how those beliefs manifest themselves cannot breach the thresholds of harassment or discrimination towards others, including (or especially) trans students.

This balancing act is difficult for universities to navigate given the nuances of when a disagreement becomes harassment or discrimination, while also maintaining free speech.

As many agonise over new free speech and harassment policies this summer, institutions will want to give particular attention to how they can continue to provide equitable support for trans and nonbinary students, while upholding their legal and regulatory duties.