Foremost Authority on LGBTQ Higher Education Also Spotlights Community Colleges, Religious Schools
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Campus Pride, the preeminent resource for LGBTQ leadership development, diversity inclusion and advocacy within higher education, today announced the annual Best of the Best Colleges and Universities for LGBTQ students in the United States. The schools featured in this year’s Best of the Best are listed in alphabetical order by state, and organized according to region.
“More than ever colleges today want to be viewed as LGBTQ-friendly and a welcoming place for all students. LGBTQ students and their safety impacts the recruitment efforts of the entire campus,” said Shane Windmeyer, Campus Pride Executive Director. “Upper-level administrators are now understanding how LGBTQ-friendliness is key to academic success of students and the future institutional success of the campus."
The announcement features 30 four-year campuses from across the country that have shown themselves to be deeply committed to LGBTQ students, earning a perfect score of 5 out of 5 stars on the Campus Pride Index, the definitive national benchmarking tool tracking LGBTQ-friendly policies, programs, and practices.
This year, Campus Pride is putting a spotlight on two-year colleges and religious schools with two separate lists focused on community colleges that are leading the way on LGBTQ inclusivity, and religious schools living up to LGBTQ-inclusive values. These campuses were selected by the Campus Pride Index team showcasing campuses with inclusive policy, program and practice and who scored 3.5 or higher stars in their respective categories.
“Seeing the representation of schools from every corner of the country, and highlighting the efforts of community colleges and even religious institutions really underlines the successes Campus Pride has had over our 20 years,” said Tom Elliott, Campus Pride Board Chair. “The work we’ve done with student leaders, and the resources Campus Pride continues to provide them, is making the higher education experience safer and more welcoming to LGBTQ students nationwide.”
Campus Pride’s 2021 BEST OF THE BEST Colleges & Universities is online at http://campuspride.org/BestoftheBest. The Campus Pride Index, cataloguing more than 430 LGBTQ-friendly colleges and universities, is available at https://www.campusprideindex.org/.
2021 Best of the Best LGBTQ-Friendly Colleges and Universities (Listed by region, in alphabetical order by state)
Mid-Atlantic Region
University of Maryland, MD Montclair State University, NJ Hofstra University, NY Ithaca College, NY Lehigh University, PA The Pennsylvania State University, PA University of Pennsylvania, PA
Midwest Kansas State University, KS Southern Illinois University Carbondale, IL Indiana University, IN Kent State University, OH Kenyon College, OH University of Wisconsin Eau Claire, WI University of Wisconsin Green Bay, WI University of Wisconsin Milwaukee, WI
New England University of Vermont, VT Tufts University, MA University of Massachusetts, MA
Southeast
Northern Kentucky University, KY University of Kentucky, KY Elon University, NC University of Virginia, VA
Southwest
Texas Tech University, TX University of Texas at Dallas, TX
West
San Diego State University, CA University of Colorado at Boulder, CO University of Northern Colorado, CO Southern Oregon University, OR University of Oregon, OR Washington State University, WA
Community Colleges Leading the Way (Listed in alphabetical order by state)
Red Rocks Community College, CO Dutchess Community College, NY SUNY Westchester Community College, NY Pellissippi State Community College, TN
San Antonio College, TX Salt Lake Community College, UT Everett Community College, WA North Seattle College, WA
Religious Schools Living Up to LGBTQ Values of Inclusion (Listed in alphabetical order by state)
Loyola Marymount University, CA Emory University, GA Augsburg University, MN Guilford College, NC Willamette University, OR
Lebanon Valley College, PA Southern Methodist University, TX Virginia Weslyan University, VA Gonzaga University, WA Georgetown University, Washington D.C.
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