FARMINGTON — A close, welcoming community of independent thinkers, the University of Maine at Farmington has been named one of the most affordable LGBTQ-Friendly Colleges and Universities by Student Loan Hero—an online resource to help students live their best financial life.

Out of more than 130 colleges and universities, UMF was ranked number 15 of most affordable out-of-state colleges and number 21 of most affordable in-state colleges. Other schools listed include Princeton University, Amherst College, Williams College, Swarthmore College, Duke University, Colgate University and University of Pennsylvania, among others.

Student Loan Hero based its rankings on the Campus Pride Index that highlights colleges that are committed to creating an inclusive environment for LGBTQ and allies on campus. It looked at schools that scored four stars or higher (out of five) and ranked them according to affordability for students. 

Affordability is based on the published attendance costs (2017-18 academic year) and average grant and scholarship awards (2015-16 academic year) as reported by the National Center for Education Statistics’ Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System.

The Campus Pride score is based on eight LGBTQ-friendly factors, including: policy inclusion, support and institutional commitment, academic life, student life, housing, campus safety, counseling and health, and recruitment and retention efforts.