Hi! I’m looking for colleges that have large or active transgender or nonbinary communities. I’m nonbinary (AFAB) but might look into HRT in college, so I want that to be an option. I currently live in the South and have one trans friend. I would like to be somewhere where being trans is more common and somewhere where I could have a larger or more active community.
I like small liberal arts colleges (Grinnell, Amherst, Oberlin, etc.) but am also willing to consider larger colleges. I have looked in schools that have trans-friendly policies (gender-inclusive housing/bathrooms, etc.) but I am looking for more of an assessment on student culture and life than administrative acceptance. If anyone has any resources or suggestions, they would be greatly appreciated!
I would add Reed, Lewis and Clark, Macalester, and Ithaca.
One thing you might consider is how trans friendly the state is. For example, Ohio, where Oberlin is located, is specifically creating non-trans friendly laws. So, Oberlin had to stop allowing gender inclusive bathrooms to comply with the ‘Bathroom Bill’ that was approved several years ago.
If you are thinking of starting HRT, not only do you need to worry about bathroom bills, but you need to be in a state where physicians are allowed to discuss gender affirming care. Even if your prescription is from another state, you may have trouble filling it in certain states. Or, if you were to have to see a doctor for a medical concern while at school, your care may not take HRT or any transition into account.
However, sometimes you can be in a little blue bubble and get great care. A friend moved to Montana from Boston with her child and is shocked at how easy it is to get care. They are right near Montana State University. Her child was immediately set up with a doctor, support group, therapist and pharmacy. They were afraid to give up the care they received in Boston, but it was actually easier to get care in Montana because the waiting lists weren’t as long.
I think the best thing to do is to actually contact people at the schools you are considering. They should be able to tell you what is happening on campus, in the community, and what they are worried is coming down the line in terms of legislation. An important question to ask is if they are partnered with any of the local or regional health centers.
In their 2024-2025 Common Data Set, UC Santa Cruz reported 794 full-time undergrads of another gender, and 163 undergrads of unknown gender, out of 17,940 undergrads. We don’t know how many trans students were included in the categories of men and women. Here is the link:
So about 4% of undergrads reported another gender, which is a relatively high percentage.
In their 2025-2026 Common Data Set, UCSC is only reporting men and women, with no other categories for gender, so I’m not sure why the change happened.
This website has an adult anti-trans legal risk assessment map:
Maybe worth mentioning how this differs by college as well. At D19’s college, there were gender-neutral rooms, but these were basically random rooms across various dorms. At C26’s (soon to be) college, there is an entire wing of one dorm that is gender-inclusive (as well as various rooms in other dorms). I imagine something like the entire wing would be better for what you are looking for than the former.
Just want to note that unless you will be full pay, I’d suggest running net price calculators, looking at merit awards, etc. at all schools being seriously considered.
Mount Holyoke College would fit what you are looking for. The communities outside the college itself are very transgender/nonbinary friendly as well. I would also look into Clark University in Worcester, MA.
Not only is Clark very LGBTQ friendly, but the city it’s in, Worcester, has declared itself a sanctuary city for transgender and gender diverse people.
Wesleyan definitely should be on the list. My kid (LGBTQ+ but cis) is a student there and has many trans friends. It’s a really open, welcoming, and safe community. And from a legal perspective Connecticut is one of the safest states for trans people, according to this map: Anti-Trans National Legal Risk Assessment Map: Feb 2026
Wee little Warren Wilson College near Asheville is the gayest place I’ve ever been. My L daughter went there for one semester, but it is a work college and has a bit of a outdoorsy hippie vibe and she’s more of an indoor girl. WWC has lots of non-binary and trans students too. My other kid is trans. More than half the students there ID as somewhere on the LGBTQIA+ rainbow. Asheville is super LGBTQIA+ friendly, too. Definitely worth a visit because the whole area is a beautiful destination in its own right. (BTW, Planned Parenthood can sort you on the T if you decide to go that route.)