College Pride was founded in 1997. The aim of the College Pride organisation is to enhance college counselling for gay youth. College Pride also promotes awareness of issues affecting gay youth in colleges, universities and other higher education establishments across the United States.

Advising individual institutions about the concerns of gay youths gives College Pride the ability to target specific issues that relate to a particular college and address ways to deal with matters that arise that are perhaps unique to that school. College Pride also produces articles and makes presentations to education professionals across America to make them aware of the tremendous challenges that gay youth have and offer solutions to help give advice to those attending the college.

The number of 'gay friendly' colleges and universities in America has grown substantially as a result of College Pride and the work of their members. A large number of schools have their own college pride group that offers emotional support as well as a social environment for gay youth attending the college.

The College Pride staffs are members of the National Association for College Admission Counselling and actively support the work of the Human Rights Campaign and the many other organisations making a difference in the lives of gay youth. College Pride also work closely with gay youth organisations from around the world to exchange ideas and help strengthen the international gay youth friendship movement.

The mission of College Pride is to help gay youth to deal with the problems facing them as they decide to attend college. Often the gay student has suffered immensely from intolerance, rejection or even violence from people before college and College Pride want to ensure that the same does not continue once they begin their college course. Through education and support, College Pride is taking the fear out of attending college for more and more gay youth of America and bringing a higher level of understanding and acceptance from the non-gay students and educational professionals.

There will always be areas of America that are less accepting of gays or lesbians but College Pride is making huge inroads into changing the perception of many people who misunderstand the difficulties that being a gay youth can bring and helping bridge the gap between gays and non-gays countrywide. College life can be hard enough without the prejudice that many gay youth encounter but now college Pride is making it more possible for gay and lesbian students to start afresh at college and be accepted for who they are.