Best LGBTQ Colleges for 2018

Top Ranked LGBTQ Friendly Colleges for 2018

Regardless of age or background, students from all walks of life may struggle with the transition to college.  Having a supportive and encouraging network of friends and mentors has been a proven means to help anyone through a life transition.  The LGBTQ support systems at accredited colleges and universities is no different.  Students gravitate towards those that they can trust, respect, and be themselves around.

The best colleges for LGBTQ support stand out in a number of ways.  Colleges that made the list for the 2018 top colleges have created a school that supports inclusion for all students in a safe, nurturing environment.  Additionally, universities have created organizations, groups, and curriculum to support a diverse group of students.  With greater support across all populations, students have the ability to focus on their academic trajectory and utilize their talents in incredible ways.

In 2018, more universities around the nation are opening more and more support channels and academic programs in diversity, sexuality, and gender studies.  The net result is a more understanding and inclusive society that welcomes everyone.  We have a bit of a road to travel yet but we have seen amazing strides being made in the last decade, our collective strength will provide academic and vocational opportunities for people of all backgrounds and beliefs.  Together we can stand up for one another and make this world the best it can be during your college term and beyond in the workplace.

The list of the top 20 LGBTQ accredited universities and colleges are listed below to help your college search process.  Utilize this resource to find schools that provide the academic, social, and emotional support that will help make you successful.  Our proprietary search tools are coupled with thousands of educational resources to assist in your college search.  Make the most of your skills, knowledge, and talent to make the world a better place.

Warren Wilson College

• Address: 701 Warren Wilson Road, Swannanoa, NC
• MatchCollege Composite Score: 99.8%
• Popular Degree Programs: Art History, Religious Studies, Philosophy, Biology, Physics, Social Work, Teaching, Psychology, Sociology
• Average Student to Teacher Ratio: 9:1
• Full-Time Students Receiving Financial Aid: 100%
• Enrollment: 716
• School Type: Private
• Application Deadline: Rolling

Sarah Lawrence College

• Address: One Meadway, Bronxville, NY
• MatchCollege Composite Score: 99.61%
• Popular Degree Programs: Visual & Studio Arts, Economics, Music, Psychology, Politics, Public Policy, Art History, Computer Science, Physics, Chemistry, Antropology
• Average Student to Teacher Ratio: 9:1
• Full-Time Students Receiving Financial Aid: 75%
• Enrollment: 1736
• School Type: Private
• Application Deadline: January 15^th

Bryn Mawr College

• Address: 101 North Merion Avenue, Bryn Mawr, PA
• MatchCollege Composite Score: 99.55%
• Popular Degree Programs: Art History, Religious Studies, Philosophy, Biology, Physics, Social Work, Teaching, Psychology, Sociology
• Average Student to Teacher Ratio: 8:1
• Full-Time Students Receiving Financial Aid: 75%
• Enrollment: 1,708
• School Type: Private
• Application Deadline: January 15^th

Emerson College

• Address: 120 Boylston Street, Boston, MA
• MatchCollege Composite Score: 99.41%
• Popular Degree Programs: Communication Disorders, Musical Theatre, Marketing Communications, Digital Marketing, Comedic Arts, Journalism, Public Relations, Creative Writing, Liberal Arts
• Average Student to Teacher Ratio: 13:1
• Full-Time Students Receiving Financial Aid: 71%
• Enrollment: 4,431
• School Type: Private
• Application Deadline: January 15^th

Oberlin College

• Address: 70 North Professor Street, Oberlin, OH
• MatchCollege Composite Score: 99.32%
• Popular Degree Programs: Biochemistry, International Studies, Computer Science, Art History, Economics, Cognitive Sciences, Visual Arts, Music Theory, Jazz Composition, Musicology
• Average Student to Teacher Ratio: 9:1
• Full-Time Students Receiving Financial Aid: 89%
• Enrollment: 2,912
• School Type: Private
• Application Deadline: January 15^th

Stanford University

• Address: 450 Serra Mall, Stanford, CA
• MatchCollege Composite Score: 99.18%
• Popular Degree Programs: Civil Engineering, Dance, Engineering Physics, Computer Science, Linguistics, Architectural Design, International Relations, Teaching, Aeronautics, Materials Science, Biomedical Computation, Sustainability
• Average Student to Teacher Ratio: 4:1
• Full-Time Students Receiving Financial Aid: 68%
• Enrollment: 16,914
• School Type: Private
• Application Deadline: January 3^rd

Yale University

• Address: Woodbridge Hall, New Haven, CT
• MatchCollege Composite Score: 99.07%
• Popular Degree Programs: Sexuality Studies, Psychology, Cellular Biology, Humanities, Linguistics, Economics, Philosophy, Cognitive Science, Applied Physics, Electrical Engineering, Media Studies, Evolutionary Biology
• Average Student to Teacher Ratio: 6:1
• Full-Time Students Receiving Financial Aid: 58%
• Enrollment: 12,458
• School Type: Private
• Application Deadline: January 1^st

College of the Atlantic

• Address: 105 Eden Street, Bar Harbor, ME
• MatchCollege Composite Score: 98.98%
• Popular Degree Programs: Literature & Writing, Sustainable Business, Virtual Arts & Design, Gender & Identity Studies, Ethnography, Environmental Law, Community Planning, Molecular Biology
• Average Student to Teacher Ratio: 10:1
• Full-Time Students Receiving Financial Aid: 99%
• Enrollment: 344
• School Type: Private
• Application Deadline: February 1^st

Wellesley College

• Address: 106 Central Street, Wellesley, MA
• MatchCollege Composite Score: 98.77%
• Popular Degree Programs: Middle Eastern Studies, Cognitive & Linguistic Sciences, Biochemistry, Astrophysics, Psychology, Spanish Language & Literature, Teaching, Economics, Art History, Chemistry, Antropology
• Average Student to Teacher Ratio: 7:1
• Full-Time Students Receiving Financial Aid: 65%
• Enrollment: 2,347
• School Type: Private
• Application Deadline: January 15^th

University of Wisconsin – Madison

• Address: 500 Lincoln Drive, Madison, WI
• MatchCollege Composite Score: 98.71%
• Popular Degree Programs: Medicine, Social Work, Nursing, Pharmacy, Engineering, Journalism, Veterinary Medicine, Interior Architecture, Marketing, Nonprofit Leadership
• Average Student to Teacher Ratio: 18:1
• Full-Time Students Receiving Financial Aid: 67%
• Enrollment: 43,336
• School Type: Public
• Application Deadline: February 1^st

Smith College

• Address: 7 College Lane, Northampton, MA
• MatchCollege Composite Score: 98.67%
• Popular Degree Programs: Art History, Religious Studies, Philosophy, Biology, Physics, Social Work, Teaching, Psychology, Sociology
• Average Student to Teacher Ratio: 9:1
• Full-Time Students Receiving Financial Aid: 72%
• Enrollment: 2896
• School Type: Private
• Application Deadline: January 15^th

Bard College

• Address: PO Box 5000, Annondale on Hudson, NY
• MatchCollege Composite Score: 98.61%
• Popular Degree Programs: Liberal Arts, Math, Computer Science, Social Studies, Teaching, Music, Sustainability, Photography, Economics, Psychology
• Average Student to Teacher Ratio: 10:1
• Full-Time Students Receiving Financial Aid: 70%
• Enrollment: 2,335
• School Type: Private
• Application Deadline: January 1^st

Mills College

• Address: 500 MacArthur Blvd, Oakland, CA
• MatchCollege Composite Score: 98.49%
• Popular Degree Programs: Biology, Molecular Biology, Early Childhood Development, Data Science, Art History, Journalism, Environmental Science, Queer Studies, Public Policy, Urban Education
• Average Student to Teacher Ratio: 10:1
• Full-Time Students Receiving Financial Aid: 100%
• Enrollment: 1,332
• School Type: Private
• Application Deadline: January 15^th

Grinnell College

• Address: 1121 Park Street, Grinnell, IA
• MatchCollege Composite Score: 98.44%
• Popular Degree Programs: Economics, Teaching, Linguistics, Psychology, Neuroscience, Religious Studies, Statistics, Physics, Computer Science
• Average Student to Teacher Ratio: 9:1
• Full-Time Students Receiving Financial Aid: 92%
• Enrollment: 1,699
• School Type: Private
• Application Deadline: January 15^th

Prescott College

• Address: 220 Grove Avenue, Prescott, AZ
• MatchCollege Composite Score: 98.33%
• Popular Degree Programs: Humanities, Environmental Studies, Teaching, Psychology, Sustainability Studies, Human Development, Gender Studies, Wilderness Leadership, Elementary Education
• Average Student to Teacher Ratio: 9:1
• Full-Time Students Receiving Financial Aid: 100%
• Enrollment: 703
• School Type: Private
• Application Deadline: Rolling

New College of Florida

• Address: 5800 Bay Shore Road, Sarasota, FL
• MatchCollege Composite Score: 98.27%
• Popular Degree Programs: Dolphin Research, Chemistry, Archaeology, Biology, Music, Physics, Manatee Research
• Average Student to Teacher Ratio: 10:1
• Full-Time Students Receiving Financial Aid: 100%
• Enrollment: 875
• School Type: Public
• Application Deadline: April 15^th

Pitzer College

• Address: 1050 North Mills Avenue, Claremont, CA
• MatchCollege Composite Score: 98.22%
• Popular Degree Programs: History, Financial Engineering, Teaching, Religious Studies, Psychology, Politics, Women’s Studies, Information Systems, Math, Cultural Studies
• Average Student to Teacher Ratio: 11:1
• Full-Time Students Receiving Financial Aid: 46%
• Enrollment: 1,089
• School Type: Private
• Application Deadline: January 1^st

Brandeis University

• Address: 415 South Street, Waltham, MA
• MatchCollege Composite Score: 98.17%
• Popular Degree Programs: Anthropology, Computer Science, History, English, Math, Environmental Studies, Sexuality Studies, Neuroscience, Physics
• Average Student to Teacher Ratio: 10:1
• Full-Time Students Receiving Financial Aid: 63%
• Enrollment: 5,729
• School Type: Private
• Application Deadline: January 1^st

Macalester College

• Address: 1600 Grand Avenue, Saint Paul, MN
• MatchCollege Composite Score: 98.12%
• Popular Degree Programs: Agriculture, Philosophy, Music, Neuroscience, PreMed, Sexuality Studies, Critical Theory, Computer Science, International Studies
• Average Student to Teacher Ratio: 10:1
• Full-Time Students Receiving Financial Aid: 87%
• Enrollment: 2,146
• School Type: Private
• Application Deadline: January 15^th

National Resources for LGBTQ College Students

• Susan B. Anthony Institute (SBAI) for Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies at the University of Rochester
• National Louis University (NLU) Student Services Safe Zone Resources
• University of North Georgia (UNG) LGBTQQIAA Student Affairs Portal
• Metropolitan Community College (MCC) Community Resources, Clubs, and Organizations
• University of Denver (UD) Career Resources for LGBTIQ Students
• James Madison University (JMU) Career and Academic Planning Resources
• Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) National Resources for LGBTQ Students, Courses, Scholarships, Conferences
• Weber State University (WSU) Resource Center, Support, and Discussion Groups

Ranking Methodology: At MatchCollege, we work diligently to provide quality information to help current and prospective college students best navigate the college landscape.  To that end, we use the following trusted sources of information throughout our website including: NCES, The U.S. Department of Education, Carnegie Classification, Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. News, and the U.S. Census Bureau.  In order to be listed as a great school on the MatchCollege website, schools must qualify using a variety of scoring factors including: student-faculty ratio, tuition, graduation rates, value per dollar of tuition, retention rates, financial aid, quality counseling services, loan default rate, test scores, cost of living, acceptance rates, program offerings, and the MatchCollege peer-based metric tool.

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