Rutgers University–New Brunswick is the lone New Jersey school on Campus Pride's list of the most LGBTQ-friendly colleges in the country.
Flickr/jass
With school back in session, queer students are returning to educational environments rocked by nationwide attacks on LGBTQ rights — though some areas have been hit harder than others.
Campus Pride ranks the most LGBTQ-friendly colleges and universities in the United States each year based on LGBTQ-inclusive policies, programs and practices on campus. While this year's list includes schools that have made the list in the past, it also features notable omissions — particularly in Florida and Texas — thanks to a wave of anti-trans laws that particularly affected education in those states.
The rankings show the Midwest leading among the country's five major regions, followed by the mid-Atlantic. In the Midwest, Wisconsin is well represented, with three University of Wisconsin schools – Eau Claire, Green Bay and Milwaukee. In the mid-Atlantic, New York-based schools top the list, with Adelphi University, Ithaca College, and the University of Rochester. Rutgers University–New Brunswick is the only New Jersey school on the list, while Pennsylvania schools include Penn State University and the University of Pennsylvania. The University of Maryland, College Park also made the list.
The New England region is home to Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts. the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, Massachusetts; and the University of Vermont in Burlington, Vermont.
Midwestern schools on the list include Augsburg University in Minneapolis, Minnesota; Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana; Kansas State University in Manhattan, Kansas; Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, Illinois; Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan; Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. and the University of Illinois at Chicago. St. Louis is represented on the list by Washington University.
Schools in the west include San Diego State University in San Diego, California. Southern Oregon University in Ashland, Oregon. and the University of Colorado at Boulder, Colorado.
The schools listed above represent only the highest scorers, with each of the 30 schools receiving the coveted five-star ranking that translates to 90% or higher on the Campus Pride Index. The grade is based on eight factors, including campus safety, academics, housing, student life, and recruitment and retention.
“The Best of the Best list was first created in 2009 as a way to highlight colleges and universities committed to providing safe and inclusive environments for LGBTQ+ students so that students and families can make informed choices about where they will continue their higher education”. Campus Pride founder, CEO and executive director Shane Mendez Windmeyer said in a written statement. “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.”
Campus Pride explained that Texas and Florida were excluded because of anti-trans laws in those states as well as policies that erase inclusion programs, though it noted that schools in those states have historically maintained strong support for LGBTQ students and teachers. By excluding these states, Campus Pride hopes to send a message to future students.
“It is important that prospective students and families know that these Texas and Florida laws endanger and harm LGBTQ+ people and create a hostile and unwelcoming learning environment before they attend school there,” Windmeyer added.
Campus Pride also organizes other rankings, including the Campus Pride Sports Index, and offers education, college prep resources and more. Learn more at campusprideindex.org.
