UMass Amherst Recognized as One of Campus Pride’s 2023 ‘Best of the Best’ for LGBTQ+ Students

The University of Massachusetts Amherst has been named to this year’s list of top campuses for LGBTQ+ students by Campus Pride, a leading national organization dedicated to building future LGBTQ and ally leaders and creating safer communities within higher education. UMass Amherst ranked in the top 30 out of 230 colleges and universities nationwide and one of three in New England.

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“Earning a spot on Campus Pride’s Best of the Best list recognizes an institution’s efforts to create a safe and welcoming campus for their LGBTQ+ students, staff and faculty,” said Campus Pride Founder, CEO and Executive Director Shane Mendez Windmeyer. “In the current climate, in which LGBTQ+ identities have become political talking points and laws are 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 recognition for the efforts they have made and continue to make.”

The 2023 list includes 30 four-year public and private colleges and universities from around the country. UMass Amherst achieved five out of five stars and the highest percentage scores on the Campus Pride Index (CPI), the national benchmarking tool measuring LGBTQ-friendly policies, programs and practices on college and university campuses. To earn a ranking of five out of five stars, campuses receive a percentage score from 90 to 100 based on their reporting of LGBTQ-friendly features. Campuses are scored on eight LGBTQ-friendly factors, including housing, campus safety, academics, student life, and recruitment and retention efforts.

“At a time when many states are persecuting trans and nonbinary young people, it is critical for colleges, especially institutions in more supportive states, to be sanctuaries for LGBTQ+ students, and the 'best of the best' colleges have worked to be places where trans and nonbinary students feel welcomed and included," said Genny Beemyn, coordinator of the Campus Pride Trans Policy Clearinghouse and director of the UMass Amherst Stonewall Center.