The Best Gay-Friendly Schools

Affectionately referred to as simply “State” by many students, Penn State was formerly known as the biggest party school in America. Such fervent school pride can most likely be attributed to the university’s perennially successful athletic programs, which receive nearly annual mentions from the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics. So loyal are alumni to their alma mater that the Penn State Alumni Association has been the largest dues-paying alumni association in the world since 1955. But despite the strong presence of athletics on campus, Penn State has also maintained a tradition of academic achievement, leading the Big Ten with 3,069 students selected for Academic All-Big Ten honors.

But Newsweek honors this school for slightly different reasons. With praise for its gay-friendly culture from both The Advocate and InsideCollege.com, PSU - specifically, their main campus at  University Park  - takes seventh place on Newsweek’s list of gay-friendly schools. Its students aren’t surprised: “So proud to be a Penn Stater!  The LGBT community here is great.  Most other students are pretty open-minded as well,” wrote one student in response to the school’s inclusion on The Advocate’s list.

Approximately 38,000 undergraduates enjoy a 17:1 student-to-faculty ratio. Although tuition rates vary by campus, program and residency, Pennsylvanian undergraduates eading to main campus can expect to pay around $14,412 for the 2010–2011 academic year, while tuition for non-residents will be around $26,276.