Discover the 30 Most LGBTQ-Friendly Colleges and Universities in the U.S.
| 11/03/23
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Campus Pride has released its annual Best of the Best list of the top 30 colleges and universities for LGBTQ+ students.
The exclusive list is based on its Campus Pride Index which rates institutions based on self-reporting of various criteria important to LGBTQ+ students and their families.
“The Best of the Best list was first created in 2009 as a way to showcase colleges and universities that were committed to offering safe and inclusive environments for LGBTQ+ students so that students and families could make informed choices about where to pursue higher education,” says Shane Mendez Windmeyer, the founder, CEO, and executive director of Campus Pride. “In today’s climate, which finds LGBTQ+ identities being used as political talking points and laws being weaponized against LGBTQ+ people, the commitment to creating campuses that welcome and protect LGBTQ+ students cannot be taken for granted. The colleges and universities that made our list this year deserve this highest recognition for the efforts they have made and continue to make.”
You can read the complete list of the Best of the Best LGBTQ+ Friendly colleges and universities from Campus Pride, including individual pages for each institution, here.
But keep scrolling to see if your institution made the list.
Adelphi University – Mid-Atlantic Region
Image adelphi.edu
Garden City, New York
Campus Pride Index: 5 out of 5
Institution Type: Private Institution
Student Population: 7,859
Institution Website: www.adelphi.edu
Campus Pride Index Institution Page
Augsburg University – Midwest Region
Image Instagram: augsburguniversity
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Campus Pride Index: 5 out of 5
Institution Type: Doctoral/Research University, Master’s College/University, Baccalaureate College/University, Private Institution, Liberal Arts College, Religious Affiliation
Student Population: 3,537
Institution Website: www.augsburg.edu
Campus Pride Index Institution Page
Elon University – South Region
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Elon, North Carolina
Campus Pride Index: 5 out of 5
Institution Type: Master’s College/University, Baccalaureate College/University, Private Institution, Liberal Arts College
Student Population: 6,500
Institution Website: www.elon.edu
Campus Pride Index Institution Page
George Mason University – South Region
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Fairfax, Virginia
Campus Pride Index: 5 out of 5
Institution Type: Doctoral/Research University, Public/State University
Student Population: 39,150
Institution Website: www.gmu.edu
Campus Pride Index Institution Page
Guilford College – South Region
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Greensboro, North Carolina
Campus Pride Index: 5 out of 5
Institution Type: Master’s College/University, Baccalaureate College/University, Private Institution, Liberal Arts College, Religious Affiliation
Student Population: 1,200
Institution Website: www.guilford.edu
Campus Pride Index Institution Page
Indiana University, Bloomington – Midwest Region
Image lgbtq.indiana.edu
Bloomington, Indiana
Campus Pride Index: 5 out of 5
Institution Type: Doctoral/Research University, Public/State Institution
Student Population: 49,695
Institution Website: lgbtq.indiana.edu/
Campus Pride Index Institution Page
Ithaca College – Mid-Atlantic
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Ithaca, New York
Campus Pride Index: 5 out of 5
Institution Type: Master’s College/University, Baccalaureate College/University, Private Institution, Liberal Arts College
Student Population: 6,000
Institution Website: www.ithaca.edu
Campus Pride Index Institution Page
Kansas State University – Midwest Region
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Manhattan, Kansas
Campus Pride Index: 5 out of 5
Institution Type: Doctoral/Research University, Master’s College/University, Baccalaureate College/University, Public/State University
Student Population: 20,000
Institution Website: www.k-state.edu/lgbt/
Campus Pride Index Institution Page
Northern Illinois University – Midwest Region
Image Instagram: niu_gsrc
DeKalb, Illinois
Campus Pride Index: 5 out of 5
Institution Type: Doctoral/Research University, Master’s College/University, Baccalaureate College/University, Public/State University
Student Population: 16,234
Institution Website: niu.edu/gsrc/
Campus Pride Index Institution Page
Northern Kentucky University – South Region
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Highland Heights, Kentucky
Campus Pride Index: 5 out of 5
Institution Type: Master’s College/University, Baccalaureate College/University, Public/State University
Student Population: 16,000
Institution Website: lgbtq.nku.edu
Campus Pride Index Institution Page
Oakland University – Midwest Region
Image oakland.edu
Rochester, Michigan
Campus Pride Index: 5 out of 5
Institution Type: Doctoral/Research University, Master’s College/University, Baccalaureate College/University, Public/State University
Student Population: 17,170
Institution Website: www.oakland.edu
Campus Pride Index Institution Page
Ohio State University – Midwest Region
Image lgbtq.osu.edu
Columbus, Ohio
Campus Pride Index: 3.5 out of 5
Institution Type: Doctoral/Research University, Master’s College/University, Baccalaureate College/University, Public/State University
Student Population: 49,000
Institution Website: www.osu.edu
Campus Pride Index Institution Page
Pennsylvania State University – Mid-Atlantic Region
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University Park, Pennsylvania
Campus Pride Index: 5 out of 5
Institution Type: Doctoral/Research University
Student Population: 46,184
Institution Website: studentaffairs.psu.edu/csgd
Campus Pride Index Institution Page
Purdue University – Midwest Region
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West Lafayette, Indiana
Campus Pride Index: 5 out of 5
Institution Type: Doctoral/Research University, Master’s College/University, Baccalaureate College/University, Public/State University
Student Population: 49,000
Institution Website: www.purdue.edu/lgbtq/
Campus Pride Index Institution Page
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey – Mid-Atlantic Region
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New Brunswick, New Jersey
Campus Pride Index: 5 out of 5
Institution Type: Doctoral/Research University, Master’s College/University, Baccalaureate College/University, Public/State University
Student Population: 6,000
Institution Website: socialjustice.rutgers.edu
Campus Pride Index Institution Page
San Diego State University – West Region
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San Diego, California
Campus Pride Index: 5 out of 5
Institution Type: Doctoral/Research University, Master’s College/University, Baccalaureate College/University, Public/State University, Hispanic Serving Institution
Student Population: 32,000
Institution Website: pridecenter.sdsu.edu
Campus Pride Index Institution Page
Southern Oregon University – West Region
Image socialjustice.sou.edu
Ashland, Oregon
Campus Pride Index: 5 out of 5
Institution Type: Master’s College/University, Baccalaureate College/University, Public/State University, Liberal Arts College
Student Population: 6,191
Institution Website: sou.edu
Campus Pride Index Institution Page
Tufts University – New England Region
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Medford, Massachussetts
Campus Pride Index: 5 out of 5
Institution Type: Doctoral/Research University, Private Institution
Student Population: 11,606
Institution Website: admissions.tufts.edu
Campus Pride Index Institution Page
University of Colorado, Boulder – West Region
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Boulder, Colorado
Campus Pride Index: 5 out of 5
Institution Type: Doctoral/Research University, Master’s College/University, Baccalaureate College/University, Public/State University
Student Population: 30,000
Institution Website: www.colorado.edu
Campus Pride Index Institution Page
University of Illinois Chicago – Midwest Region
Image Facebook: UIC Undergraduate Admissions
Chicago, Illinois
Campus Pride Index: 5 out of 5
Institution Type: Doctoral/Research University, Master’s College/University, Baccalaureate College/University, Public/State University, Hispanic Serving Institution, Asian and Pacific Islander Serving Institution
Student Population: 30,539
Institution Website: admissions.uic.edu
Campus Pride Index Institution Page
University of Louisville – South Region
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Louisville, Kentucky
Campus Pride Index: 5 out of 5
Institution Type: Doctoral/Research University, Master’s College/University, Baccalaureate College/University, Public/State University
Student Population: 22,000
Institution Website: louisville.edu/lgbt
Campus Pride Index Institution Page
University of Maryland, College Park – Mid-Atlantic Region
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College Park, Maryland
Campus Pride Index: 5 out of 5
Institution Type: Doctoral/Research University, Public/State University, Asian American and Pacific Islander Serving Institution
Student Population: 37,952
Institution Website: lgbt.umd.edu
Campus Pride Index Institution Page
University of Massachusetts, Amherst – New England Region
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Amherst, Massachussetts
Campus Pride Index: 5 out of 5
Institution Type: Doctoral/Research University
Student Population: 28,500
Institution Website: www.umass.edu
Campus Pride Index Institution Page
University of Pennsylvania – Mid-Atlantic Region
Image lgbtcenter.universitylife.upenn.edu
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Campus Pride Index: 5 out of 5
Institution Type: Doctoral/Research University
Student Population: 20,000
Institution Website: www.upenn.edu
Campus Pride Index Institution Page
University of Rochester – Mid-Atlantic Region
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Rochester, New York
Campus Pride Index: 5 out of 5
Institution Type: Doctoral/Research University, Master’s College/University, Baccalaureate College/University, Private Institution
Student Population: 10,182
Institution Website: rochester.edu/
Campus Pride Index Institution Page
University of Vermont – New England Region
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Burlington, Vermont
Campus Pride Index: 5 out of 5
Institution Type: Doctoral/Research University, Master’s College/University, Baccalaureate College/University, Public/State University
Student Population: 11,000
Institution Website: www.uvm.edu/
Campus Pride Index Institution Page
University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire – Midwest Region
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Eau Claire, Wisconsin
Campus Pride Index: 5 out of 5
Institution Type: Doctoral/Research University, Master’s College/University, Baccalaureate College/University, Public/State University, Liberal Arts College
Student Population: 11,000
Institution Website: www.uwec.edu/
Campus Pride Index Institution Page
University of Wisconsin, Green Bay – Midwest Region
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Green Bay, Wisconsin
Campus Pride Index: 5 out of 5
Institution Type: Doctoral/Research University, Master’s College/University, Baccalaureate College/University, Public/State University, Liberal Arts College
Student Population: 9,780
Institution Website: www.uwgb.edu
Campus Pride Index Institution Page
University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee – Midwest Region
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Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Campus Pride Index: 4.5 out of 5
Institution Type: Doctoral/Research University, Master’s College/University, Baccalaureate College/University, Public/State University
Student Population: 23,829
Institution Website: uwm.edu/lgbtrc
Campus Pride Index Institution Page
Washington University in St. Louis – Midwest Region
Image Facebook: Wash U Pride Alliance
St. Louis, Missouri
Campus Pride Index: 5 out of 5
Institution Type: Doctoral/Research University, Master’s College/University, Baccalaureate College/University, Private Institution
Student Population: 14,000
Institution Website: www.lgbt.wustl.edu
Campus Pride Index Institution Page
