The 15 worst universities in the U.S. for LGBTQ+ students

The adult entertainment portal Erobella, responsible for the Sexually Liberal City Index, just released a new study ranking U.S. universities by how LGBTQ+-inclusive they are.

Erobella recently published the Out on Campus: The LGBTQ+ College Index 2026, which measures how “supportive and inclusive” the universities across the country are. The study examined whether universities have professionally staffed LGBTQ+ centers, provide gender-inclusive housing, have written policies that protect trans students from discrimination, have a student health insurance plan that covers gender-affirming care, and allow chosen names and pronouns to be used on official records.

Out on Campus also analyzed the city where the school is located by measuring its score on the Human Rights Campaign’s Municipal Equality Index, the number of LGBTQ+ venues nearby, and whether there is a local PFLAG chapter.

Related: The 15 best universities in the U.S. for LGBTQ+ students

"For LGBTQ+ students, knowing how supportive and inclusive a university really is can make a meaningful difference,” said Brenda Jensen from Erobella's data and research team. “With the Out on Campus Index, we want to create greater transparency and show which universities are providing concrete support and resources for LGBTQ+ students — while also highlighting where there is still room for improvement.”

Since the Campus Pride Index was shut down after serving as the go-to source for finding LGBTQ+-friendly universities for the past 18 years, this study is more important than ever for students seeking a four-year institution that provides trans and other LGBTQ+ students with support and protection.

New York University came out on top as the most LGBTQ+ friendly university in the country, while at the other end of the spectrum, 81 colleges hold or have sought religious exemptions under Title IX to legally permit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Every school in the bottom 15 is also a religious institution from the South, while not a single Southern school made it into the top ten.

All 1,718 schools in the study started with a score of zero and earned points for the support they provide to LGBTQ+ students and for how LGBTQ+-friendly the city is, but the bottom 15 schools never scored a single point.

The Advocate already showed the top 15 most LGBTQ+-friendly universities; now keep scrolling to see the bottom 15 schools that ranked as the “least welcoming to LGBTQ+ students” in the U.S.

15. Toccoa Falls College

Toccoa Falls College

University of Toccoa Falls/YouTube

Toccoa Falls College in Northeast Georgia, along with every other university in the bottom 15, scored 0.0 out of 100 because they don't provide any protections or support for LGBTQ+ students.

14. East Texas Baptist University

East Texas Baptist University

East Texas Baptist University/YouTube

This Texas-based Christian college has no policies to protect queer or trans students and fails all other metrics in the study.

13. Hardin-Simmons University

Hardin-Simmons University

Hardin-Simmons University/YouTube

Located in Abilene, Texas, Hardin-Simmons University is Title IX-exempt, like all the colleges at the bottom of this list, and provides no protection for LGBTQ+ students.

12. Wayland Baptist University

Wayland Baptist University

Wayland Baptist University - San Antonio/YouTube

Wayland Baptist University is another religious school in Texas that fails to offer any protections for LGBTQ+ students.

11. Mississippi College

Mississippi College

This university, located in Clinton, Mississippi, provides no protections for LGBTQ+ students, fails to offer any inclusive policies, and the city only scored a 50 out of 100 from HRC.

10. Brigham Young University Idaho

Brigham Young University Idaho

BYU-Idaho/YouTube

Brigham Young University Idaho is a Mormon college in Utah whose lack of institutionalized protections for queer and trans students earned it a zero out of 40 for campus policies.

9. William Carey University

William Carey University

William Carey University/YouTube

Like all the universities on this list, Mississippi's William Carey University requested religious exemptions under Title IX, covering sexual orientation or gender identity.

8. University of Mobile

University of Mobile

University of Mobile/YouTube

This Alabama university not only made it onto the last Campus Pride Worst List (2024), but it is Title IX exempt, and the city of Mobile only managed to get a 36 out of 100 equality score from HRC.

7. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Oklahoma Wesleyan University/YouTube

Oklahoma Wesleyan University fails by every metric and doesn’t have a single LGBTQ+ venue within 10 miles of the college.

6. University of Mary Hardin-Baylor

University of Mary Hardin Baylor

Mac 5 Family/YouTube

Like the other Texas colleges on this list, the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor fails to have any protections for trans students, won’t allow students to use their chosen name or pronouns on records, and lacks gender inclusive health care or housing.

5. Bethel University

Bethel University

Bethel University/YouTube

Bethel is one of four Tennessee universities in the bottom 15. Just like the rest, it is Title IX-exempt, offers zero protections for queer or trans students, and has no LGBTQ+ venues nearby.

4. Carson-Newman University

Carson-Newman University

The College Tour/YouTube

This Tennessee college provides no protections or support for LGBTQ+ students, and Jefferson City, home to Carson-Newman University, offers very little for queer students, earning a 41 out of 100 from HRC.

3. Freed-Hardeman University

Freed-Hardeman University

freedhardman/YouTube

Freed-Hardeman University in Tennessee has Title IX-exempt status and touts itself as a faith-based Christian college. It also landed on the last Campus Pride Index’s Worst List.

2. Union University

Union University

Union University/YouTube

Tennessee's Union University is the runner-up in the competition to see which college treats its LGBTQ+ students the worst.

1. Harding University

Harding University

Harding University/YouTube

The colleges in the top 15 have made impressive strides toward LGBTQ+ inclusivity and protections, but the opposite is true for the bottom schools. Harding University in Arkansas is the worst university for queer students, a title every school should be fighting to avoid.