A new guide gives students an idea of how gay-friendly their prospective universities are.

The online guide, www.gaybydegree.org.uk, is aimed at lesbian, gay and bisexual 16 and 17 year olds who are choosing which university to study at.

Gay By Degree measures how gay-friendly each university is based on a range of factors, including whether there is a student LGB Society, if LGB specific careers advice is offered, membership of Stonewall’s Diversity Champions Programme, policies and practices that counter homophobic bullying and specific events for LGB students.

It also contains gay-specific advice about the university experience and a ten point checklist Stonewall recommends every university should meet to recruit and retain the very best gay talent - both students and staff.

Luke Tryl, Stonewall's Education Officer, said: "With the introduction of tuition fees, students are increasingly consumers and as such expect universities to cater to their needs. For the first time, students can now compare how gay-friendly every UK university is by browsing this groundbreaking new guide."

The National Union of Students (NUS) today welcomed the publication of a check-list that shows how LGBT-friendly universities are based on certain catergories such as support for LGBT staff and policies that protect gay staff from bullying.

NUS President, Aaron Porter, said: "University can be a daunting time for LGBT students. The support networks they may have had at home could be a long way away and they might be unsure how to handle talking about their sexuality with new friends. Homophobia still exists on university campuses and universities must do everything they can to eliminate it. This welcome guide will help students to pick a university that better caters to their needs and will help universities to identify those areas where their LGBT policy falls short."