University of Washington Seattle

Seattle’s University of Washington (UW) was named one of the top inclusive universities.
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Earlier in August, the Huffington Post, in collaboration with the nationally recognized organization Campus Pride, announced its list of the colleges and universities most dedicated to creating safe, inclusive campuses for their LGBT students. Similar to lists cultivated by publications such as the Princeton Review, Campus Pride takes their criteria even further, having developed an “index” of categories and conducting in-depth research that will determine how LGBT-friendly a campus is.

Some of the criteria that makes up the Campus Pride Index includes schools’ policies and programs surrounding student life, housing, academic life, campus safety, counseling and health, and institutional commitment to creating an inclusive environment for LGBT students, among many others. Colleges and universities are invited to participate in the research and Campus Pride Index, and happily, this year more academic institutions than ever before partook in the organization’s evaluation.

According to the Huffington Post,As part of the branding process of “LGBT-friendly” undergone by the universities taking part in Campus Pride’s Index, universities have the opportunity to “come out” and claim that label within the index itself.” This means that now, higher education institutions are further encouraged to engage in practices and policies that create a better quality of life for LGBT students. Campus Pride has inspired many schools to take a pledge, or “come out,” to support their LGBT students, which instills continual commitment to promote equality and safety at an institutional level. “The efforts of Campus Pride over the past several years have, in turn, encouraged and aided colleges and universities to make policy changes and take steps toward ensuring that their campuses cater to LGBT individuals and a diverse range of experiences,” The Huffington Post explains in its article about Campus Pride’s picks for most LGBT-friendly colleges and universities.

Some of the colleges from Campus Pride’s picks for the top 25 LGBT-friendly schools include: Connecticut College, Oberlin College, Portland State University, University of Washington, Rutgers University, Ohio State University, Stanford University, Ithaca College, and Princeton University, among many others.

To see the full list and learn more about the criteria and process used to determine which colleges and universities are the most dedicated their LGBT students, visit Campus Pride’s official website.