FORT WORTH, Texas — Much to the chagrin of opposition from around the country, Texas Christian University, a private religious university affiliated with the Disciples of Christ, recently announced that it would no longer use the term “freshmen” for incoming students. A school spokesman said the university made the change to be more inclusive. 

In its place, the school will refer to students in college for the first time as "first-year" students. The term will also apply to students with fewer than 24 credit hours, regardless of how long they have been enrolled in school. 

TCU's Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs called the change "a reflection of our university-wide commitment to inclusive excellence." The university's Data Governance Executive Board, which is responsible for data collection, security and quality, approved the change by vote. 

"This move brings TCU in line with current higher education industry standards," according to a statement made by the university.

For the past several years, other universities have also changed their language around grade levels and eschewed the freshman-through-senior descriptors of college students. In 2012, Campus Reform reported that the University of North Carolina dropped the term "freshman" from official documents because of its gendered connotation. 

Just last month, Penn State University's Faculty Senate voted to eliminate "freshmen" as well as "junior" and "senior" because they follow a traditional male naming convention. 

Predictably, the online reaction to the move has been mixed, with some critics decrying the change as “cancel culture run amok,” with others celebrating the new designation as a sign of progress.

TCU's new policy will take effect at the start of the fall 2021 semester.