LGBTQIA+ Safe Transfer Choices
With graduation around the corner for a lot of you, it’s no surprise to find yourself wondering about the next step in your educational journey. There are so many things to think about: What do I want to study? Where do I want to go? How much will it all cost? But for many of our LGBTQIA+ students, there’s also another big question we have to ask ourselves when looking towards our next destination: Will I be safe?
The ARC Pride Center, in collaboration with the ARC Transfer Center, wants to make sure that the next step in your education is not only a great fit for you academically - but also is a campus environment that gives you the resources and support needed to be unapologetically yourself while you’re there. While there are so many incredible options that go above and beyond in support for their queer students across the United States, there are also some schools that have a history and reputation for being very unsafe for LGBTQIA+ students - and many fall somewhere in between and are neither extraordinary nor terrible.
The following is a list of 30 universities and colleges around the country, from state schools to private institutions, that go above and beyond for their LGBTQIA+ students. These campuses all:
- have queer safe spaces and equity centers
- have larger queer populations
- provide community resources catered to their LGBTQIA+ students and staff
- offer queer and trans healthcare services
- include queer-related courses and representation in their curriculum
- have gender-inclusive and LGBTQIA+ housing options
If you have any questions about any of these schools and what they offer, or want to know if your school offers any of these queer-friendly services, please let us know and we can connect you to the answers you are looking for.
California:
- California State University; Sacramento (CSUS) Sacramento, CA.
- Humboldt University Humboldt, CA.
- San Diego State University San Diego, CA.
Oregon:
- University of Oregon Eugene, OR.
- Portland State University Portland, OR.
- Southern Oregon University Ashland, OR.
Washington:
- Washington State University Pullman, WA.
Colorado:
- University of Colorado at Boulder Boulder, CO.
Kansas:
- Kansas State University Manhattan, KS.
Minnesota:
- Macalester College Saint Paul, MN.
- Augsburg College Minneapolis, MN.
Wisconsin:
- University of Wisconsin Eau Claire Eau Claire, WI.
- University of Wisconsin Green Bay Green Bay, WI.
- University of Wisconsin Milwaukee Milwaukee, WI.
Illinois:
- Southern Illinois University Carbondale Carbondale, IL.
Indiana:
- Indiana University Bloomington Bloomington, IN.
- Purdue University West Lafayette, IN.
Kentucky:
- University of Louisville Louisville, KY.
- Northern Kentucky University Highland Heights, KY.
Ohio:
- The Ohio State University Columbus, OH.
- Kent State University Kent, OH.
North Carolina:
- Elon University Elon, NC.
Pennsylvania:
- Pennsylvania State University University Park, PA,
- Lehigh University Bethlehem, PA.
- University of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh, PA.
Maryland:
- University of Maryland College Park, MD.
New Jersey:
- Montclair State University Montclair, NJ.
- Rutgers (The State University of New Jersey-New Brunswick) New Brunswick, NJ
New York:
- Ithaca College Ithaca, NY.
Massachusetts:
- University of Massachusetts Amherst Amherst, MA.
This next list, however, are the top 5 schools that Campus Pride has listed as the Worst of 2021. These are schools that have fought to actively discriminate against their LGBTQIA+ students’ rights and safety. These schools are considered unsafe, and many of them do not have active safe spaces or equity centers on campus for their queer student population. If you are still interested in attending any of the following schools, please reach out so that our team can try and find you a stable support system in the area before you transition over.
Utah:
- Brigham Young University Provo, UT.
Oklahoma:
- Oklahoma Baptist University Shawnee, OK.
Texas:
- University of Dallas Dallas, TX.
New York:
- Yeshiva University New York, NY.
Michigan:
- Spring Arbor University Spring Arbor, MI.