For many students who identify as LGBTQ+, college is the first place they find community and a safe space to be themselves.
In a 2020 survey prepared for the Association of American Universities that sampled more than 180,000 undergraduate and graduate students, nearly 17% identified as gay, lesbian, bisexual, asexual, queer or questioning.
But some colleges are more inclusive than others, and many LGBTQ+ still students face discrimination and alienation on campus, such as being misgendered or having little visibility and representation.
One-third of LGBTQ+ students at four-year schools were bullied, harassed or assaulted at college, for instance, compared to 19% of their non-LGBTQ peers, according to a 2022 report from the Williams Institute at the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law.
Many colleges have made strides in creating more inclusive campus climates, including implementing all-gender restrooms, adding LGBTQ+ majors and minors to the curriculum and establishing specific resource centers for this student population. But recently, some states like Florida have pushed against or defunded these diversity and inclusion initiatives on public college campuses.
“Usually college is a time where most people are facing being away from their parents for the first time in their lives,” says Manny Velasquez-Paredes, director of the University of North Florida‘s LGBTQ Center. “So they’re trying to start to come into their own and into their own adulthood. And not being able to be who they truly are 100% of the time is not an ideal place for anybody to be in.”
[READ: LGBTQ Health Issues: How to Choose a Medical School at the Forefront]
Here’s what students can look out for to determine whether a school is LGBTQ-friendly.
Signs of an LGBTQ-Friendly College
When putting together a list of colleges, LGBTQ+ students should research whether a school has out faculty and staff, offers inclusive housing and gender-neutral bathrooms, houses resource centers on campus and supports LGBTQ+ students year-round.
“You first have to ask yourself where you want to go to school for your academics,” says Shane Windmeyer, founder and executive director of Campus Pride, a national LGBTQ nonprofit organization. “Then you need to figure out which one of these campuses are going to allow me to live my full, authentic self, be who I am and academically feel welcome in the classroom.”
Has Out Faculty and Staff
Having out faculty members and staff, as well as those that research LGBTQ+ issues, is a good sign for students, as well as prospective employees, experts say.
“I would think that staff and faculty would want to be able to work at a place where they’re going to be celebrated, not just tolerated,” Velasquez-Paredes says.
The University of Illinois Chicago, for instance, is working to develop an “out list,” where faculty and staff comfortable with being out are publicized as a way for students to find mentors and support in their area of study, says Billy Huff, director of the school’s Gender and Sexuality Center.
Offers Gender-Inclusive Housing and Gender-Neutral Bathrooms
Moving into the dorms for the first time or using the bathrooms or locker rooms on campus can evoke fear for many transgender and nonbinary students, experts say. So it’s important to research a school’s housing and bathroom policies — like whether they offer single-occupancy or all-gender restrooms — before applying.
Nearly 450 colleges and universities have gender-inclusive housing, where students from all gender identities can live together, according to data collected by Campus Pride. And 424 schools list gender-inclusive bathrooms on their websites.
Houses an LGBTQ+ Center and Other Resources
Schools that support LGBTQ+ students are taking “proactive measures” by offering resources on campus, like inclusive health care and mentorship programs to help ease the transition from high school to college, Windmeyer says.
Resources may be encompassed under an LGBTQ center, and schools may also have related student-run groups or clubs on campus. Some of these student organizations are academic-based, like OutLaw, which is a community for LGBTQ+ students pursuing law degrees. Others cater to specific gender or racial identities.
[Advice for LGBTQ Law School Applicants]
“One of the challenges that we have is students coming in — especially first-generation college students who don’t have any experience in college — and a lot of the times are intimidated to seek out the resources that exist,” Huff says. “When they do start, most of the centers and clubs will have welcome events. So getting involved and getting involved early is important.”
Supports LGBTQ+ Students Year-Round
June is Pride month, a time to celebrate the LGTQ+ community. For many companies and colleges, that often means promoting rainbow flags on their social media accounts and hosting pride events.
However, experts say it’s important to look at what schools are doing year-round to support LGBTQ+ students, such as providing scholarships, showing same-sex couples in their brochures or websites or bringing in speakers to discuss LGBTQ+ issues.
“If it’s just during Pride month, then maybe it’s an OK university, but it’s probably not the best one,” Velasquez-Paredes says. “Whereas if you have a university that’s doing stuff year-round, it makes you feel more included and that more of your community is being represented. So that might be easier for you to feel at home than at a university that doesn’t do anything as far as events or anything like that.”
Tips for Applying to College as an LGBTQ+ Student
Huff advises prospective college students to think about the larger context outside of the school itself, including researching the current political climate of the state where a school of interest is located.
There are also online resources, like the Campus Pride Index, that analyze and rate a college’s commitment to LGBTQ-inclusive policies, programs and practices.
“It’s a good resource, but my problem with it is that all LGBT students don’t face the same obstacles and hurdles,” Huff says. “LGBT students of color, for instance, face a lot more challenges and different challenges than white LGBT students do. So I think also looking at the diversity of the campus for LGBT students of color. Are there other resource offices for Black students and Hispanic students? I think those are also important factors to look at.”
[Read: A Complete Guide to the College Application Process.]
As for the college application itself, applicants should note that the Common Application added voluntary gender and pronoun questions, and plans to include “X” or “another legal sex” as additional options to “female” and “male” beginning in the 2023-2024 cycle.
Highly Rated Colleges for LGBTQ+ Students
Below is a look at 12 of the top 40 rated schools on Campus Pride Index’s “2022 Best of the Best LGBTQ-Friendly Colleges & Universities List.” These schools are listed by region — Mid-Atlantic, Midwest, New England, Southeast, Southwest and West — in alphabetical order. Ratings are based on benchmarks that take into account institutions’ LGBTQ-inclusivity. All of the schools listed received the highest Campus Pride index rating: a 5.
“We have a list of roughly 300 colleges that have come out as LGBTQ-friendly and are doing work,” Windmeyer says. “Some of those are in Florida and Texas, and unfortunately they are probably going to lose the score that they’ve had because they are going to have to cut back on their services.” The governors in both Florida and Texas have recently signed bills banning diversity, equity and inclusion offices at public colleges within their states.
Campus Pride plans to add notations on the profile pages of certain schools advising students to research state policies, given the rapidly changing landscape, Windmeyer adds.
| SCHOOL NAME (STATE) | REGION | U.S. NEWS RANKING |
| Montclair State University (NJ) | Mid-Atlantic | 182 (tie), National Universities |
| Towson University (MD) | Mid-Atlantic | 33 (tie), Regional Universities North |
| Kansas State University | Midwest | 166 (tie), National Universities |
| University of Illinois at Chicago | Midwest | 97 (tie), National Universities |
| Tufts University (MA) | New England | 32 (tie), National Universities |
| University of Vermont | New England | 121 (tie), National Universities |
| Elon University (NC) | Southeast | 89 (tie), National Universities |
| University of North Florida | Southeast | 263 (tie), National Universities |
| Texas Tech University | Southwest | 219 (tie), National Universities |
| University of Texas at Dallas | Southwest | 151 (tie), National Universities |
| University of Colorado Boulder | West | 97 (tie), National Universities |
| Washington State University | West | 212 (tie), National Universities |
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How to Find an LGBTQ-Friendly College originally appeared on usnews.com
