College of the Atlantic Named #1 LGBTQ-Friendly, #1 Green-Minded College
The coastal Maine college ranks among the top 20 in 17 categories, highlighting its rigorous academics, strong financial aid, and high quality of life.
BAR HARBOR—College of the Atlantic has been named the #1 LGBTQ-Friendly college and the top school for “Green Matters: Everyone Cares About Conservation” in the 2026 edition of The Princeton Review’s Best 391 Colleges. The college also ranks in the top 20 nationally across categories from most active student government to best campus food.
The recognitions reflect COA’s long-standing commitment to an inclusive and supportive community, as well as its innovative approach to education. Every student designs their own major in human ecology, an interdisciplinary program that integrates knowledge across fields and empowers students to explore the relationships between humans and the natural, built, and social environments.
“College of the Atlantic is a place where people can bring their whole selves and be met with respect, curiosity, and care,” says COA President Sylvia Torti. “That spirit of openness fuels the creativity and intellectual engagement that define our academic life—and launches graduates who lead, innovate, and challenge the status quo.”
COA’s tight-knit community fosters mutual respect, creating an environment where students can thrive academically, personally, and socially, Torti says. It’s a culture that continues to earn COA top marks from students in The Princeton Review’s annual survey.
“There’s an ‘encouragement to pave our own paths and build our learning to suit ourselves,’” The Princeton Review quotes one student as saying. This approach “attracts a self-selected group of passionate, driven, and deeply curious individuals who are committed to interdisciplinary learning and environmental and social justice,” another says.
The Princeton Review rankings are based entirely on surveys of 170,000 students attending the 391 schools in the guide. Only about 15% of America’s four-year colleges are profiled.
Founded on the belief that education should not only help students understand the world but empower them to change it, College of the Atlantic has been named the #1 Green College in the U.S. by The Princeton Review every year since 2016. The Review’s 2026 Green Rankings will be released in the fall. Learn more at coa.edu.
College of the Atlantic’s 2026 top-20 Princeton Review rankings:
#1 Green Matters: Everyone Cares About Conservation
#1 LGBTQ-Friendly
#3 Most Active Student Government
#4 Best Campus Food
#4 Lots of Race/Class Interaction
#5 Best Quality of Life
#6 Most Engaged in Community Service
#6 Town-Gown Relations are Great
#8 Friendliest Students
#12 Most Politically Liberal Students
#12 Students Study the Most
#14 Most Politically Active Students
#15 Great Financial Aid
#15 Professors Get High Marks
#17 Happiest Students
#17 Most Beautiful Campus
#18 Least Religious Students
Princeton Review Ratings for COA:
Academics: 90/99
Admissions Selectivity: 90/99
Financial Aid: 97/99
Fire Safety: 92/99
Quality of Life: 98/99
Green: 99/99
Professors Interesting : 94/99
Professors Accessible: 93/99