Queer Lifestyle

The Most Lesbian Colleges in USA for Queer Women to Find Community & Culture

Last Updated on by Isa
Five students sitting overlooking the hills.

LGBTQ-friendly colleges are everywhere, but this is for lesbians. Colleges in liberal areas, with bright students, and/or especially women’s-only, have long been havens for queer women. While not every student will be sapphic, these schools can have a strong queer presence (that can be a contagious awakening for others too). Think rugby teams doubling as dating pools, feminist bookstores that feel like home, and a campus where “roommates” are not just roommates. Here are the top 14 most lesbian colleges for queer women looking for safer academic spaces to embrace lesbian culture, expand on queer academia, build a queer community, and maybe even create your own little modern-day Themyscira sapphic utopia.

Best Colleges for Lesbians & Queer Women 

Bryn Mawr College 

An old stone building of Bryn Mawr College, one of the lesbian colleges.
Four students walking at campus grounds with yellow fall trees in the background.
Five students sitting overlooking the hills.

Bryn Mawr College has been shaking up tradition since 1885. It became the first women’s college in the U.S. to offer a Ph.D. program. To top that, in 2015, it became one of the first women’s colleges to formally accept transgender students, and in 2017, the Princeton Review named it the most LGBTQ-friendly school in the country. The school also offers a Gender and Sexuality Studies degree program. 

A significant portion of the student body identifies as queer here, making it so much easier to build your queer community.

From affinity groups to alumnae connections, campus life is packed with LGBTQ+ spaces. For instance:

  • Mawr Love: A mini-archive of LGBTQ+ relationships that started on campus
  • GenderQuest: For trans, nonbinary, and gender-nonconforming students to connect and find support. They hold craft nights and game nights. 
  • Zami+: For BIPOC queer and trans students of color, offering community events and performances by artists and activists from the Philadelphia area
  • Rainbow Alliance: For sapphic movie nights and film discussions
  • Trans & Queer Support Group
  • LGBTQIA+ alumnae-student events, mixers, and conferences

The school also has famous sapphic alums like Hollywood icon Katharine Houghton Hepburn and suffragist M. Carey Thom who fought for women’s education.

The campus is absolutely gorgeous like something out of a 90s movie. And the town of Bryn Mawr itself, just 30 minutes from Philly, is cozy and queer-friendly. You can spend an afternoon wandering through an art gallery, catch an outdoor concert, or in the Campus Arboretum. 

  • Location: Bryn Mawr, PA (Near Philadelphia)
  • Type: Women’s college (Graduate school is co-ed)
  • Tuition: $67,730 
  • Population: 1,205
  • Acceptance Rate: 29%

Barnard College

Barnard College

Barnard College has been pushing boundaries since 1889. Since Columbia University shut out women, Barnard built its own school branch under Columbia as a haven for us. Leadership and gender studies are part of the college’s DNA, with the Athena Center for Leadership, a Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies curriculum, and  Barnard Center for Research on Women.

Barnard isn’t just LGBTQ+ friendly. One of the first women’s colleges to openly welcome transgender and nonbinary students, it backs that up with gender-inclusive housing and restrooms, affirming healthcare and crisis hotlines, and DEI workshops. Every October, the college teams up with Columbia for Queer Awareness Month.

Barnard’s small liberal arts setting (and Columbia’s) makes it easy to find your people with these various queer groups.

Barnard also has LGBTQ+ @ Barnard, a go-to online hub for resources, a Digital Feminist Archives, and a zine collection of self-published works by women, nonbinary creators, and trans men. Students can also have access to Columbia’s Institute for the Study of Sexuality and Gender and que(e)ry, a student collective on queer and feminist theory.

Barnard also has its share of famous sapphic alums like Edna St. Vincent Millay, a Pulitzer Prize-winning poet, and June Jordan, a poet and activist who used her voice to fight for LGBTQ+ and racial justice. She’s one of our favorite lesbian love poem writers!

Barnard students get to enjoy New York City’s many lesbian events, browse in NYC queer-friendly bookstores, dance at a sapphic party, and catch drag shows. Just a subway ride away, Greenwich Village, one of the queerest NYC neighborhoods, is home to Cubbyhole and Henrietta Hudson, two of the remaining NYC lesbian bars. Beyond these, New York City gives Barnard students an edge with its unparalleled opportunities for networking, internships, and exposure to diverse cultures!

  • Location: New York City, NY
  • Type: Women’s College
  • Tuition: $67,602 (2024-2025)
  • Population: 3,270
  • Acceptance Rate: 9%

Wellesley College 

Not to be confused with Wesleyan College (the first women’s college). Wellesley College is known as a lesbian Hogwarts and has been a queer-friendly women’s college for years. In 2015, they adopted a trans-inclusive admissions policy. The school’s LGBTQ+ Programs & Services keep the community thriving, offering everything from queer book clubs and film screenings to queer craft fairs, mixers, and LGBTQ+ history tours. 

For trans, nonbinary, and gender-nonconforming students, there’s the Gender Affirming Gear Program that helps support their gender euphoria. The Wellesley College Trans Experience Archive works to preserve the trans experience and history. When it is time to think beyond college, career mentorship and job resources help LGBTQ+ students step into the future with confidence.

Beyond these programs, Wellesley has a range of on-campus groups where students can find their people and build their community.

  • blackOUT: A welcoming space for queer and questioning students of African descent
  • Familia: A close-knit community for queer Latinx students
  • Tea Talks: A confidential space where Pan-Asian queer and trans students can connect
  • QTSAQ (Queer and Trans South Asian Coalition): A space for LGBTQ+ South Asian students to come together
  • Siblings: A support network for transgender and gender-nonconforming students
  • Wellesley Wildcards: A space for students on the asexual and aromantic spectrum to find connection and visibility

Wellesley has its share of powerful alums, including Hillary Clinton, who has been a champion for gay rights.

As for the town, Wellesley has that New England charm straight out of a novel, with tree-lined streets, historic buildings, and just the right amount of quiet. The town itself is progressive and welcoming. And with Boston just a short train ride away, students have access to the city’s sapphic spaces and events.

  • Location: Wellesley, MA (Near Boston)
  • Type: Women’s college
  • Tuition: $66,880 (2024-2025) 
  • Population: 2,417 (fall 2023)
  • Acceptance Rate: 13% 

Smith College 

In 1871, Smith College was built on the idea that women deserved an education equal to men. Today, it is one of the most queer-inclusive private liberal arts women’s colleges. The school’s nondiscrimination policy ensures that all students are supported, and its Study of Women, Gender & Sexuality program explores identity, power, and activism.

At the heart of campus life is the Resource Center for Sexuality & Gender, which spearheads LGBTQ+ initiatives. 

For trans students:

  • The Schacht Center for Health and Wellness makes gender-affirming medical and mental health care easy to access. It offers medical services such as hormone therapy, wellness open hours, counseling and support groups, and even referrals for surgery. 
  • The binder library provides free binders and education on how to wear them safely.
  • And Smith also helps cover gender-affirming care, and students can update their names on Smith communications and IDs.
  • All single-occupancy restrooms are all-gender, and the school continues to expand multi-stall gender-neutral restrooms and locker rooms with private changing areas. 
  • Various campus offices also offer extra layers of support, especially the Office of Disability Services, which provides accommodations for those undergoing gender-affirming procedures. 
  • The college has hosted various famous trans and nonbinary guest speakers like Alok Menon and Laverne Cox.

The library’s Queer Histories and Cultures library collection ensures queer voices are not forgotten in Smith’s academic spaces.

And because Smith students never stop being part of the community, the Smith LGBTQ Alumnae Community keeps those connections strong. Career support includes an annual career panel for trans and nonbinary students, cohosted by various on-campus centers.

Smith has shaped some of the most formidable women in history: Sylvia Plath, who wrote The Bell Jar, and Jane Lynch, the openly lesbian actress who’s famous for her character of Glee.

On top of all of that? It’s located in Northampton, the most lesbian town in the USA.  Besides queer women, you can find lesbian bookstore Bookends in Florence and several LGBTQ+-friendly bars, restaurants. For events, the Majestic Saloon hosts queer pop-ups. 

  • Location: Northampton, MA
  • Type: Women’s college
  • Tuition: $64,870 (2024-2025)
  • Population: 2,500
  • Acceptance Rate: 21%

Mount Holyoke College

Mount Holyoke College has been rewriting the rules of women’s education since 1837 as the first of the Seven Sisters, a historic group of private liberal arts colleges founded to expand academic opportunities for women. Founded by Mary Lyon, who believed education should be just as rigorous for women as it was for men, the college has spent nearly two centuries fostering trailblazers.  Mount Holyoke was also one of the first women’s colleges to adopt a trans-inclusive admissions policy in 2014. Here, students can deep-dive into gender and sexuality through the Gender Studies degree program or the Queer, Trans, and Sexuality Studies certificate program.

Mount Holyoke’s Community and Belonging department makes sure LGBTQIA+ students have support, while the Counseling Services offers identity-affirming care, including a TGNC support group. 

Healthcare here is just as affirming. Students can access hormone therapy, lab work, injection assistance, and letters for gender marker changes or gender-affirming surgeries. And if you’re looking for a residential space that feels like a queer sanctuary, the college has Living-Learning Communities like The Gloria Anzaldúa, Lyon’s Legacy, and Mary Woolley, which create an environment where queerstudents can connect and build friendships.

Additionally, Mount Holyoke offers these queer spaces:

  • Jeannette Marks Cultural Center: For LGBT students to gather through regular open hours and community events
  • Gender+: Creates an affirming intersectional space for transgender, nonbinary, gender-nonconforming, and questioning students
  • Familia: A community for queer students of color
  • Coalition for Asexual/Aromantic Awareness (CFAA): A space for ace and aro students
  • Lavender Committee (Student Government Association): Celebrates LGBTQIA+ students and the ways they navigate life at Mount Holyoke and beyond
  • MoZone Peer Educators: Leads various workshops, including those on gender, sexuality, and identity
  • Lyon’s Pride: Mount Holyoke’s queer alum network. It also runs the Jolene Fund, which offers financial support to students who have lost familial backing.
  • Lavender Graduation: A celebratory send-off for LGBTQ+ students

Mount Holyoke has always been home to trailblazing women. Mary Woolley, one of the college’s early presidents, shared a lifelong partnership with Jeannette Marks, the professor and activist whose name now graces the campus’s LGBTQ+ cultural center. And then there is Emily Dickinson, one of the greatest poets of all time, who attended briefly.

South Hadley is a quiet New England town. While it is not overflowing with queer nightlife, LGBTQ+ students find community in local cafés, indie bookstores, and the cozy, academic energy of the area. Also, it’s just a short trip away, Northampton (lesbian town mentioned above).

  • Location: South Hadley, MA
  • Type: Women’s college
  • Tuition: $66,780 (2024-2025)
  • Population: 2,178
  • Acceptance Rate : 38%

Vassar College 

Vassar has been shaking up education since 1861, first as the trailblazing women’s college of the Seven Sisters to be established as a college, then as the first to go coed in 1969. Its Women, Feminist, and Queer Studies program dives into everything from gender theory to activism while its library has a dedicated LGBTQ Studies section and a special collection on queer history.

Vassar’s LGBTQ Center makes sure students have everything they need, from name-change services and all-gender housing to trans and nonbinary healthcare, including routine checkups, STI testing, lab work, and hormone injections. Respecting pronouns is the norm. The center also offers plenty of resources and spaces to feel at home, like a queer library, LGBTQ-focused magazines, all-gender bathrooms, and queer-friendly spaces for various purposes. They also help first-year queer students settle in, provides mental and physical health support, and host community events.

Vassar also all of these queer organizations for students to connect:

  • QTPoC: Celebrates and uplifts queer and trans people of color through art exhibits, and social gatherings
  • QCVC (Queer Coalition of Vassar College): Makes sure LGBTQ+ students have the advocacy, events, and resources to thrive, not just survive
  • TransMission: Ensures that trans, genderqueer, and intersex students are fully supported and affirmed
  • TBD: Guarantees that policies support trans and gender-nonconforming students
  • Ace Space: An activism group for asexual and aromantic students
  • CHOICE: An organization that helps educate on sexual health issues
  • Feminist Action Coalition: A space for  discussion on gender justice, activism, and dismantling oppressive systems
  • Vassar LGBTQ Oral History Project: Captures the stories and experiences of queer students and alumni

Vassar’s LGBTQ+ presence has always been part of its history. Edna St. Vincent Millay, the sharp-witted, openly queer poet, and Elizabeth Bishop, a Pulitzer Prize-winning writer, both spent their college years here.

Poughkeepsie is a small city located in the gorgeous Hudson Valley, an area with progressive energy. While it is not a bustling queer metropolis, the area is LGBT-inclusive and has Vassar nearby. In the Hudson Valley, students can find several cute towns with cozy cafés, independent bookstores, and other local venues. And if you are craving a more significant queer scene, New York City is just a 1.5-hour train ride away from the downtown.

  • Location: Poughkeepsie, NY
  • Type: Co-Ed (historically women’s college until 1969)
  • Annual Tuition (approx.): $70,050 (2024-2025)
  • Undergraduate Population (approx.): 2,456 (2023)
  • Acceptance Rate (approx.): 17.7% (2023)

Sarah Lawrence College

Sarah Lawrence was founded as a women’s college in 1926 and became coed in 1968. Four years later, it became the first college in the U.S. to offer a master’s program in Women’s History. Today, Sarah Lawrence is one of the most LGBT-inclusive schools in the country and they offer  programs in Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Studies and Gender and Sexuality Studies.

At Sarah Lawrence, queerness isn’t just studied but a part of the everyday experience. Lots of queer students and a great place to build your chosen family community. The college is home to the following queer organizations:

  • LGBTQIA Space (The Hub): Equal parts lounge, meeting space, and resource center, where students can drop in to study, relax, connect, or plan their next big event. The Hub also brings in guest speakers, hosts workshops, and leads conversations that highlight queer voices and issues.
  • Trans Action: The go-to space for trans, genderqueer, and questioning students. It offers support for name changes and the like.

At Sarah Lawrence, LGBTQ+ students have spaces where they shape the conversation. That legacy of bold, boundary-pushing voices includes Alice Walker, the literary icon behind The Color Purple, a sapphic classic that is one of our favorite lesbian audiobooks. 

Bronxville is just 20 minutes driving to NYC, and yet is a world away with all the charm of a small town, gorgeous homes,  tree-lined streets, cafés, and a cute downtown area. Also right in town is the MetroNorth train station, so you can head north to some of the Hudson Valley’s scenic attractions or south to Manhattan.

  • Location: Bronxville, NY
  • Type: Co-Ed (historically women’s college until 1968)
  • Annual Tuition (approx.): $66,292 (2024-2025)
  • Undergraduate Population (approx.): 1,462
  • Acceptance Rate (approx.): 59%

Brown University  

Brown is an Ivy League school with 38% of students identifying as LGBTQ+. So you’ll be surrounded by a nice mix of queer culture and academic intelligence. Students can explore Gender and Sexuality Studies, whether as a major or a graduate certificate. Even the medical school is ahead of the curve, offering a scholarly concentration program in LGBTQ+ Healthcare and Advocacy to train future doctors to better serve all gender and sexual minority individuals.

At Brown, queer students can find each other in various queer groups and events like:

  • The Brown LGBTQ Center provides gender pronoun recognition, assistance with name change, and access to gender-inclusive restrooms, locker rooms, and housing options. Their health resources include counseling, hormone replacement therapy (HRT), and gender-affirming surgeries.
    • For clubs, the LGBTQ Center hosts queer book clubs, poetry and art nights, movie screenings, game nights, mixers, drag race marathons, and more! For updates, check out their Instagram.
  • Pride Prom: A campus favorite hosted annually by the Brown Queer Alliance, giving students a chance to dance, dress up, and celebrate in a space that feels fully their own
  • Lavender Celebration: A graduation send-off where LGBTQ+ students get the spotlight, capping off their time at Brown with a ceremony made just for them
  • Brown Queer Alliance: Since 1970, this student-led group has been at the center of LGBTQ+ life on campus. 
  • Out for Lunch: A casual, come-as-you-are discussion series where students and faculty dive into conversations about gender, sexuality, and identity over lunch
  • Community Gatherings
  • LGBTQIA+ Thinking Initiative Events: This Pembroke Center project keeps queer theory fresh, with talks, symposiums, and exhibits that challenge ideas and spark new conversations.
  • CAPS Support Group: In partnership with the LGBTQ Center, Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) runs a weekly support group for trans, nonbinary, and questioning students.
  • Brown Alumni Pride Association (BAPA)

The university has never been short on queer icons likeKate Bornstein, who has reshaped conversations on gender, Angela Robinson, who brought sapphic stories to the screen with D.E.B.S. and The L Word. Also, Kathy Flores, who made history in rugby, coached Brown’s team and earned a place in both the U.S. and World Rugby Hall of Fame. She was the first woman and the first woman of color to lead a national team.

The city of Providence feels like an extension of Brown’s campus. It’s got a gorgeous waterfront, is hailed as a super gay-friendly city with lots of queer spaces like Small Format cafe/gallery, EGO Providence dance club, and Que Dulce events. Book nerds, don’t miss visiting Providence Athenaeum, a beautiful 200 year old library. Cape Cod is just 90 minutes driving from here, too!

  • Location: Providence, RI
  • Type: Co-Ed
  • Annual Tuition (approx.): $65,146
  • Undergraduate Population (approx.): 7,000
  • Acceptance Rate (approx.): 5.39%

Hampshire College 

Hampshire College has never played by the rules. Founded in 1965, this private liberal arts school lets students design their own education. There are no letter grades, just narrative evaluations, where professors actually tell you how you are doing instead of reducing you to a number. Learning happens everywhere, from independent research and internships to field studies and hands-on projects. With a faculty-student ratio of 1:7, classes feel more like deep conversations than lectures. Instead of class years, students move through a divisional structure, proving what they have learned through curated portfolios of projects, reflections, and real-world work. 

And because Hampshire believes education should not have walls, students can take courses at nearby Amherst College, Mount Holyoke College, Smith College, and the University of Massachusetts Amherst through the Five College Consortium.

Hampshire was built with queer students in mind with a plethora of courses about Queer Studies. 

The Queer Community Alliance Center (QCAC) has been a home base for queer students to gather, create, and celebrate since 1992. They host everything from queer film screenings and lip-sync performances to crafting nights and musical gatherings. 

For trans students, gender-affirming care is fully integrated into Health and Counseling Services, offering support groups, counseling, and help with name and gender marker changes. Student health insurance covers hormone therapy and most gender-affirming procedures.

Then are groups like the Ace/Aro Club and Trans Reading Group meet here. And every year, Hampshire honors its LGBTQ+ graduates with Lavender Graduation, a ceremony that is both a milestone and a celebration of identity.

Other groups and centers provide spaces for queer students to connect, organize, and advocate. Such as:

Located in Amherst, Massachusetts, a progressive college town where queerness is celebrated, activism thrives, and self-expression is the norm. Just down the road, Northampton (most lesbian town in the USA), packed with gays and queer spaces. And when students need a break from it all, the Pioneer Valley’s scenic trails and nature reserves are perfect for long walks, deep talks, and quiet moments of reflection. 

  • Location: Amherst, MA
  • Type: Co-Ed
  • Annual Tuition (approx.): $52,068
  • Undergraduate Population (approx.): 500
  • Acceptance Rate (approx.): 63.7%

Of course this doesn’t mean that these are the ONLY colleges where the lesbians go, but where you’ll likely find it so much easier and safer to flourish in queer culture, community, and academics. If you can’t get into these schools or are looking for others, schools that focus on queer-adjecent things like theatre, art, women’s/gender studies, progressive politics, and more usually hold safer spaces for us and where maybe you’ll find your future besties or even wifey! For example, SUNY New Paltz is a more affordable alternative known for its art program and liberal hippie-ish town. There are going to be a plethora of queer women here plus more relatively  open-minded acceptance. 

Other schools not mentioned above that you can consider as well are UC Berkeley, Scripps College, American University, and University of Vermont, to name just a few.

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