'Being different' can make students vulnerable to attacks of various natures when they are away from home in pursuit of academic goals.

There are many instances when Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgenders are pushed into the periphery due to the phobia surrounding them which makes it difficult to interact with their peers. Hence, many chose to drop out of college in fear of rejection.

But, the new rankings released by Campus Pride in collaboration with HuffPost Gay Voices hope to change all this, by helping the students from LGBT community to choose the right college where they feel welcomed and their differences are respected.

Cornell University topped the top 25 LGBT-friendly colleges, shortly followed by University of Minnesota- Twin Cities. Penn State came in third. Stanford, Emory, UCLA, UCB are also featured in the list.

The rankings are based on the data collected through Campus Pride Index. The Index rates both colleges and universities on LGBT policy inclusion, student life, academic life as well as other relevant factors using a five to one star rating system. A total of 339 campuses across the country are rated in the Index.

"Every student deserves to feel safe on campus, and all of these colleges are committed to creating a more LGBT-friendly campus," Campus Pride Executive Director Shane Windmeyer said in a statement.

He also added that the ratings differ from the others in many aspects including the fact that the Campus Pride ratings were done 'for and by' LGBT people.

Though only 25 colleges are listed, he said, it is important to recognize the 300 and odd campuses that have 'come out' as LGBT-friendly.

Campus Pride, established in 2001, is a national non-profit organization that serves the LGBT student community for their safety.

Here is the list of Top 25 LGBT-friendly colleges of the US:

1. Cornell University

2. University of Minnesota- Twin Cities

3. Pennsylvania State University

4. University of California, Los Angeles

5. University of Pennsylvania

6. Indiana University

7. University of Chicago

8. University of Massachusetts, Amherst

9. Oberlin College

10. University of California, Berkeley

11. University of Oregon

12. University of Michigan

13. Carleton College

14. University of Maryland, College Park

15. Emory University

16. University of Utah

17. Ithaca College

18. Portland State University

19. University of Vermont

20. Stanford University

21. University of Washington

22. The Ohio State University

23. University of California, Riverside

24. University of Illinois at Chicago

25. University of California, Santa Barbara