The Top 10 Trans-Friendly Colleges and Universities

With improvements made across the country, for the first time ever, Campus Pride can assemble a list of the most welcoming places for trans students to go to college.

BY Genny Beemyn and Shane Windmeyer

August 15 2012 5:00 AM ET

University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pa.
Campus Pride Index LGBT-Friendly Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars
Gender Identity/Expression Score: 5 out of 5 Stars

Any discussion of the very best schools for trans students would have to include Penn. Besides having all of the major trans-supportive policies and services in place, its LGBT Center has its own two-story building, a renovated 1870s carriage house. The center not only hosts LGBT events, but many other campus activities, which contributes to an environment where trans students do not feel marginalized. Unlike the situation at many campuses, identifying as trans at Penn is not a big deal and many cisgender people get it. Being an urban, Ivy League school means that faculty members tend to have a basic knowledge of trans identities or are willing to learn. In addition, Penn’s student health service has many trans-aware staff members who work to ensure that trans students receive quality health care, and they and other people at Penn can take advantage of the Philadelphia Trans-Health Conference, one of the country’s largest trans conferences.