Delhi University and Jamia Millia Islamia have announced inclusion of a third gender category in all kinds of student application forms. “It is notified for necessary compliance by all concerned that in all application forms to be submitted by students for different purposes, a third category as ‘others’ will be added against ‘gender’ of the students in addition to male/female,” DU Registrar said, in a communication to all department heads and college principals.

The University of Delhi had last year announced inclusion of transgender in admission forms for post-graduate courses. However, from this year, DU has planned to include the category in all official forms including those for job vacancies, hostel applications and undergraduate admissions.

According to the university data, of the 90,000 applications received last year for admission to its various post-graduate courses, nine candidates had selected the transgender option. Jamia Millia Islamia has also introduced the transgender option in the gender column of its online admission form this year.

“We have also introduced the category under the ‘Spouse’s Name’ for applicants who are married. Earlier, the forms asked for ‘Husband’s Name’ if the applicant is a married woman,” Jamia spokesperson Mukesh  Ranjan said.

After the Supreme Court acknowledged the transgenders as the ‘third gender’ last year, the University Grants Commission (UGC) had notified transgenders as the third gender to enable them to avail benefits of all scholarship schemes and fellowship programmes in higher educational institutions. Bangalore University was the first to modify its application form to include the category in 2010.