These 50 universities are making strides in providing a safe environment, especially for LGBT students.

Non-profit organization Campus Pride released a list of the most LGBT-friendly colleges and universities in the United States based on each school's ratings in LGBT student academic, housing and various other campus life factors.

Campus Pride used an index of research tools to assess each institution's policies, programs and practices that work toward an inclusive and safe environment for LGBT and heterosexual ally students.

A wide range of institutions from Ivy League universities like Harvard and Brown University to large state schools like Northern Arizona University and University of California, Los Angeles are among the many choices available to LGBT students looking at the next steps in their education.

Campus Pride Executive Director Shane Windmeyer said in an interview with Mashable that last year's list only featured 25 universities, and that the increase in the schools recognized serves as proof that "universities want to be known as LGBT-friendly."

The following list is presented in alphabetical order.

Amherst College

Augsburg College

Brown University

Central Washington University

Connecticut College

Cornell University

Dartmouth College

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Emory University

Harvard University

Indiana University

Ithaca College

Macalester College

Northern Arizona University

Oberlin College

Oregon State University

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Pomona College

Portland State University

Princeton University

Rutgers University

San Diego State University

Southern Illinois University Carbondale

Southern Oregon University

Stanford University Syracuse University

The Ohio State University

The Pennsylvania State University

Tulane University University of California, Berkeley

University of California, Los Angeles

University of California, Riverside

University of California, Santa Barbara

University of California, Santa Cruz

University of Central Florida

University of Chicago

University of Illinois at Chicago

University of Maryland, College Park

University of Massachusetts, Amherst

University of Michigan

University of Minnesota – Duluth

University of Minnesota – Twin Cities

University of Oregon

University of Pennsylvania

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University of Rhode Island

University of Southern California

University of Vermont

University of Washington

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University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee

Waren Wilson College

Washington State University

Washington University in St. Louis

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