UWEC Ranked No. 1 in State for LGBTQ+ Students

V1 Staff |

Showing their pride. (UW-Eau Claire photo)
Showing their pride. (UW-Eau Claire photo)

Pride Month may have just ended, but UW-Eau Claire can still celebrate being ranked the best college in Wisconsin for LGBTQ+ students for the third consecutive year.

BestColleges, in partnership with Campus Pride, recently released its 2020 rankings for the best campuses for LGBTQ+ students, a dual set of rankings for Best Colleges for LGBTQ+ Students and the Best Colleges for LGBTQ+ Students in Each State. For the third year in row, UWEC was named best in Wisconsin, and this year made the overall list of top 25, one of only 15 schools in the U.S. to make both lists and one of only five Midwest colleges in the top 25.

The rankings combine BestColleges’ traditional methodology of academic support and affordability data along with the Campus Pride Index score, a comprehensive national rating system that measures LGBTQ-friendly campus life. Campus Pride takes an exhaustive and multifaceted approach, considering eight LGBTQ+ inclusive factors to reach a measurement. The rankings also include descriptions of unique campus resources that provide support to students of various gender and sexual identities.

According to Dr. Christopher Jorgenson, director of UWEC’s Gender & Sexuality Resource Center, the rankings are “a critical validation for the increasing number of students who seek out UW-Eau Claire for our commitment to queer inclusivity. We owe it to our queer students, faculty and staff to continue honoring the oftentimes difficult queer experience, while carving out equal amounts of time to celebrate who we are.”