The 5 most LGBT-friendly colleges in America — and the 5 least
College students have never been gayer: a recent poll from Gallup revealed that 23.1% of Americans born between 1997 and 2006 identified as LGBTQ, a nearly 9% increase from the previous generation.
While young Americans might feel more comfortable identifying as queer than their predecessors, the possibility of experiencing bigotry on a college campus is far from being in the past.
In January, the president signed an executive order declaring that the American government would only recognize two sexes – male and female. The following month, the Trump administration enacted another executive order banning transgender women from participating in women’s sports.
Mitchell R. Lunn, a physician who researches LGBTQ health, told the New York Times that the impact of these policies could reverberate through society and “push some people to go back into the closet.”
“I think we may lose a lot of the really positive momentum that we’ve built over the past decades.”
Even prior to Trump taking office, recent policies in states like Texas and Florida made college campuses increasingly hostile to LGBTQ students.
In May 2023, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis enacted policies restricting instruction on gender in the state’s public higher education institutions. That same year, Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed a bill that banned public colleges and universities from “conducting trainings, programs, or activities designed or implemented in reference to race, color, ethnicity, gender identity, or sexual orientation,” without significant state-level oversight.
For queer high school seniors, the changing landscape around LGBTQ rights in the United States means that choosing a college or university that embraces gay and transgender students is especially important.
Each year, the Princeton Review ranks the most and least LGBTQ-friendly colleges based on student responses to the statement, “students treat all persons equally, regardless of their sexual orientation and gender identity/expression.”
Continue reading to learn more about the most and least LGBTQ-friendly colleges and universities in America.
5th most LGBTQ friendly: Bennington College
Where is it?
Bennington, Vermont
What kind of school is it?
Bennington is a private, coeducational liberal arts college.
How many students attend?
797
4th most LGBTQ friendly: Wellesley College
Where is it?
Wellesley, Massachusetts
What kind of school is it?
Wellesley is a private liberal arts college for women.
How many students attend?
2,417
3rd most LGBTQ friendly: Pitzer College
Claremont, California
What kind of school is it?
Pitzer is a private, coeducational liberal arts college.
How many students attend?
1,242
2nd most LGBTQ friendly: College of the Atlantic
Where is it?
Bar Harbor, Maine
What kind of school is it?
The College of the Atlantic a private, coeducational liberal arts college.
How many students attend?
353
Most LGBTQ friendly: Reed College
Where is it?
Portland, Oregon
What kind of school is it?
Reed is a private, coeducational liberal arts college.
How many students attend?
1,346
5th least LGBTQ friendly: Grove City College
Where is it?
Grove City, Pennsylvania
What kind of school is it?
Grove City College is a coeducational, Christian liberal arts college.
How many students attend?
2,365
4th least LGBTQ friendly: University of Tennessee Knoxville
Where is it?
Knoxville, Tennessee
What kind of school is it?
University of Tennessee Knoxville is a coeducational, public research university.
How many students attend?
30,564
3rd least LGBTQ friendly: Brigham Young University
Where is it?
Provo, Utah
What kind of school is it?
BYU is a coeducational, Mormon research university.
How many students attend?
32,221
2nd least LGBTQ friendly: the Catholic University of America
Where is it?
Washington, DC
What kind of school is it?
Catholic University is a Catholic, coeducational research university.
How many students attend?
3,177
Least LGBTQ friendly: College of the Ozarks
Where is it?
Point Lookout, Missouri
What kind of school is it?
The College of the Ozarks is a coeducational, tuition free, Christian college.
How many students attend?
1,508