A new study was just released that provides a comprehensive look at U.S. universities to see how LGBTQ+ inclusive they are.
The adult entertainment portal Erobella, responsible for the Sexually Liberal City Index, published Out on Campus: The LGBTQ+ College Index 2026, a study ranking "1,718 four-year colleges scored against twelve public data sources." Universities across the country were measured against each other to see which four-year institutions have the most professionally staffed LGBTQ+ centers, provide gender-inclusive housing, have a written policy protecting trans students from discrimination, cover transition care with student health insurance, and allow for chosen names and pronouns to be used on official records.
The study also focused on the city the college is in, whether there are any LGBTQ+ venues within 10 miles of the campus, and how the city scored on the Human Rights Commission's Municipal Equality Index.
"For LGBTQ+ students, knowing how supportive and inclusive a university really is can make a meaningful difference," said Brenda Jensen from Erobella's data and research team. "With the Out on Campus Index, we want to create greater transparency and show which universities are providing concrete support and resources for LGBTQ+ students — while also highlighting where there is still room for improvement."
Erobella thought it was important to study how LGBTQ+-friendly U.S. colleges are, since the Campus Pride Index was shut down after 18 years, despite being the go-to guide for LGBTQ+ life on university campuses across the country. Late last year, the Trump administration also shut down the government's list of Title IX religious exemptions from ed.gov, and state anti-DEI laws began closing campus LGBTQ+ centers.
Unsurprisingly, not a single Southern school made the top ten, and the majority of the bottom 25 are religious universities. New York, on the other hand, proved just how progressive the state is by having three universities place in the top ten.
Keep scrolling to see the top 15 schools that ranked as the "most LGBTQ+-friendly colleges" in the U.S.
University of Illinois Chicago
The University of Illinois Chicago scored high on all of the LGBTQ+-inclusive metrics, but suffered from having only one queer venue within 10 miles of the college.
The George Washington University/YouTube
The George Washington University
This college not only has trans and queer-inclusive policies, but also has 16 LGBTQ+ venues close by, and HRC gave the city a 100/100 score.
Western Washington University/YouTube
Western Washington University got a perfect score on campus policies, but was rated a little lower in environment, with the city getting an HRC score of 83 out of 100.
The New School scored a little lower on campus LGBTQ+ policies than other universities on this list, but the city got a perfect HRC score, and there are 12 queer venues within 10 miles.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology/YouTube
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Erobella gave MIT a score of 80.5 out of 100 because of its inclusive LGBTQ+ campus policies, perfect HRC score, and for having seven queer venues nearby.
Columbia garnered near-perfect scores in every metric, including a 4.5 out of 5 on the latest Campus Pride Index, and got an 80.7 out of 100 on the 2026 LGBTQ+ College Index.
Emerson scored a little lower on campus LGBTQ+ policies, but still managed to have gender-inclusive housing, a nondiscrimination policy, and trans-inclusive policies like allowing a chosen name and pronouns on official records.
Pace University scored high on all recorded metrics and got a boost for receiving a perfect 5.0 from Camp Pride when it was still active. All of this gave Pace an 81.4 in Erobella's study.
University of California San Francisco/YouTube
University of California San Francisco
Not only is the university located in a gay Mecca, but it also scored high on LGBTQ+ and trans-inclusive campus policies.
Portland State University/YouTube
Portland State got a perfect LGBTQ+-inclusive campus policy score, a perfect score from Campus Pride when it was still active, and has six queer venues within 10 miles.
Tufts University scored perfect or near-perfect scores in every metric and also has seven LGBTQ+ venues nearby and a PFLAG chapter within 25 miles.
As we get closer to the number one spot on the list, the universities all have impeccable scores across the board, including the University of Washington, which managed to get an 83.0 out of 100 in the study.
Harvard managed to land in the top three LGBTQ+ friendly universities because of its expansive and inclusive campus policies, a perfect HRC score, and nine LGBTQ+ venues within 10 miles.
Study Abroad Consultant/Youtube
Johns Hopkins is the runner-up in this study because it got a 39 out of 40 for its inclusive campus policies, and because there are a whopping 35 LGBTQ+ venues within two miles of the college and 62 within 10 miles.
NYU earned the top spot by having a staffed LGBTQ+ center, being trans-inclusive in multiple ways, and benefiting from the city itself, which received a 100/100 from HRC and has plenty of LGBTQ+ venues nearby.
The university nabbed an 84.3 out of 100 on the Out on Campus: The LGBTQ+ College Index 2026, proving that there are schools that support LGBTQ+ students, but there is still work to be done.
This article originally appeared on Advocate: The 15 best universities in the U.S. for LGBTQ+ students
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