For many gay and transgendered students, choosing a gay-friendly campus is almost as important as the college itself.

The climate on campus and in the surrounding town can mean the difference between a positive, memorable learning experience and a traumatic four years. Fortunately, many schools in the United States that have LGBT-friendly attitudes, and researching these campuses is as easy as looking up

Emory University
Campus Pride, a non-profit organization, compiles data on campuses in the United States and ranks them in terms of LGBT campus life. Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia is their top-rated campus. Emory rates high in all areas of the Campus Pride ranking system, including LGBT policy inclusion, counseling and health, campus safety, housing and residency, and LGBT recruitment and retention efforts. There are currently five student organizations at the university for LGBT students: Emory Pride, the President’s Commission on LGBT Concerns, Gay and Lesbian Alumni, the Goizueta Pride Alliance, and the Emory Medical Alliance. The school has a no-discrimination policy and offers gender-neutral housing on campus as well.

University of Pennsylvania
Newsweek recently published a list of the top 10 gay-friendly schools and placed University of Pennsylvania at the top of their rankings. The university, which is also featured on seven of Newsweek’s other “top” lists, is a private Ivy League school in Philadelphia with an undergraduate population just over 10,000. Admission to the school is very competitive and only 17 percent of applications are accepted each year. The University of Pennsylvania actively recruits gay students and has a number of gay-friendly organizations and non-discrimination policies in place.

University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
This school ranks 11th on Newsweek’s list of most desirable large campuses and is rated among the top ten in nearly every academic category. The school is well known for its gay-friendly atmosphere and policies, and has been place in more than one top five list of LGBT-friendly colleges. Over 20 organizations on campus support LGBT students, such as the LGBT Issues Commission, which puts together around fifteen events throughout the year. The University of Michigan offers gender-neutral housing for transgendered students. Scholarships are also available for LGBT students through the University of Michigan Lesbian and Gay Alumni Association.

Overall, these three campuses stand out among the top gay schools for their LGBT-friendly campus attitudes, non-discriminatory housing opportunities and policies, and the number of on-campus organizations that cater to and help gay students. These schools are also highly ranked in terms of academics and stand as very desirable campuses on their other merits. To find more LGBT-friendly campuses in the United States, check the Campus Pride ratings to learn more about policies and organizations around the country.