Research conducted by University Compare analysed six metrics to create an index to determine the top five ranking cities.
The study scrutinised 42 UK cities and compared the total LGBTQIA+ population in a city, rate of recorded LGBTQIA+ hate crimes, inclusivity of local mental health services and residents’ interest in engaging with LGBTQIA+ social groups. In addition, they reviewed data on the city’s queer clubs and online search interest in the city’s annual Pride event.
The information was gathered together and each category was given a score. These combined totals revealed the best UK cities to be an LGBTQIA+ student.
In fifth spot, overall, is Edinburgh. The Scottish capital had a low recorded incidence rate of 0.49 LGBTQIA+ hate crimes per 1000 people, as well as a 3.5/5 score on Tripadvisor for its nightlife.
Manchester took the fourth spot.
Taking the mid-spot in the ranking is Cambridge. Insights from the research showed the city had the largest number of people interested in attending an LGBTQIA+ social group on the social media platform Meetup.
Although Cambridge has a smaller population at approximately 150,000 people, 7.53 per cent of residents identify as part of the LGBTQIA+ community.
Landing in second place is Brighton, the city that has the largest queer population in the UK, with 10.73 per cent of residents identifying as LGBTQIA+. Brighton also secured the joint highest nightlife score of 4.05/5.
The most LGBTQIA+ friendly UK city for students was identified as London. According to the study, the UK’s capital ranked top spot for the lowest recorded incidence of LGBTQIA+ hate crimes at 0.44 recorded per 1000 people.
In contrast, London had the highest rating for nightlife at 4.05/5 rating and a huge 27,100 monthly searches for the annual Pride event.
London did, however, score the sixth lowest score for mental health services at 7.77 out of 10. The top performing cities for queer friendly access to mental health support were Telford and Leeds.
Look below for the full breakdown of all 42 cities.