HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. -- Northern Kentucky University has been named one of the top 50 universities for its gay and lesbian students, according to a new ranking by College Choice. In its Best LGBTQ Colleges list, College Choice ranked NKU 31st for its LGBTQ inclusion efforts.
“It is an incredible honor to be named as one of the Best LGBTQ Colleges,” said Dan Nadler, NKU vice president of student affairs. “Our goal is to provide an outstanding educational experience for our students, and we understand that to succeed academically, you must first feel comfortable, no matter who you are. We aim to achieve that for all our students by creating an environment of inclusion that comes from the top down.”
College Choice is a website that offers free online resources to help students in their college search. In compiling the Best LGBTQ Colleges ranking, College Choice first identified the universities that protect their LGBTQ students through policy inclusion, offer a number of resources and services for LGBTQ students, and intentionally promote LGBTQ perspectives in their curriculum. It also took into account the academic reputation, student satisfaction, affordability, and average annual salary of graduates from the schools across the country to create a definitive ranking. College Choice highlighted NKU’s annual celebration of LGBTQ History Month and its LGBTQ Student Ambassadors.
“Each October, NKU plans an extensive, four-week program comprised of lectures, parties, awareness events, symposiums, and summits. From queer yoga to intersex awareness day, October on NKU’s campus is loud and proud. Outside of these events, Northern Kentucky ranks as one of the best schools for LGBTQ students because of its active student life (that is, the many queer and trans clubs and organizations available to students), its progressive campus safety policies and procedures, its inclusive and exhaustive healthcare system, its support groups (such as the one for LGBTQ students struggling with depression and/or anxiety), and—most importantly—its LGBTQ policy statements and institutional commitments,” College Choice stated in its NKU profile.
NKU also has earned 4.5 stars out of five on the Campus Pride Index, the leading national nonprofit organization for student leaders and campus groups working to create safer, more LGBTQ-friendly learning environments at colleges and universities.
For more information about NKU’s Office of LGBTQ Programs and Services, click here.
To access College Choice’s Best LGBTQ Colleges ranking, click here.
