This fall, as students rush between classes and pathways fill with the familiar whir of freewheels, the League of American Bicyclists has recognized 45 colleges and universities for stepping up their commitment to a more bicycle-friendly future. The latest round of Bicycle Friendly University (BFU) awards doesn’t just celebrate infrastructure; it celebrates momentum, collaboration, and the growing belief that bicycles belong at the centre of campus life.
“What stands out about this round of Bicycle Friendly University awards is their commitment to listening, learning, and improving,” said Bill Nesper, executive director of the League of American Bicyclists. “That spirit of progress is helping shape today’s students into tomorrow’s leaders, equipping them to carry on the work of building a more Bicycle Friendly America.”
These campuses aren’t just putting up shiny new bike racks or painting sharrows on the pavement. They’re doing the deeper work—integrating bikes into policy, curriculum, climate goals, safety programs, and the lived experience of students and faculty. In a moment when many cities still struggle to build cohesive cycling networks, college campuses are proving what’s possible when dense, walkable communities give the bicycle space to thrive.
How the Program Works
Every BFU applicant undergoes an assessment, submitting detailed information on bike policies, infrastructure, education efforts, and programs. Reviewers combine those materials with insights from campus surveys, resulting in award levels from Platinum to Bronze—and sometimes no award at all. But every school, regardless of outcome, receives a data-rich feedback report packed with recommendations.
That feedback loop is key. It’s also what has helped the program grow into a powerhouse: a network of 204 Bicycle Friendly Universities across 42 states, each contributing to a national movement that gives people more ways to move sustainably.
Universities are uniquely positioned to lead the shift. They’re dense communities where driving is often optional, and where students are primed to embrace healthy, low-cost, low-carbon ways of getting around. Bikes help reduce pressure on overburdened parking lots, support climate action goals, lower emissions, and make campus pathways safer by reducing car dominance.
Richmond Mayor’s Youth Academy participant (working at VCU’s RamBikes for the summer) learns about frame building from a local fabricator (photo: League of American Bicyclists)
Progress Over Perfection
While Platinum-level schools often get the headlines, this year’s BFU cohort is shaped not by perfection but by progress.
One of the clearest examples comes from UC Davis, a long-standing Platinum institution. This year, Davis retained its top-tier status by acting on previous League recommendations and launching new inclusive bike parking standards designed for tricycles, cargo bikes, and other adaptive cycles.
“Bikes are tools to make the world a better place, and we feel immensely lucky to be working together with the League [and the Bicycle Friendly America program] to show people the power of bicycling,” UC Davis shared.
The University of Colorado Boulder (photo at top) is another breakout story.
Moving up from Gold to Platinum, CU Boulder doubled down on cultural and structural investment—like a mandatory transportation fee that sustains transit and bike infrastructure, free bikeshare access for 22,000 riders, and year-round events like the CU Bike Fest, which boosts ridership with maintenance stations and free refurbished bikes.
But some of the most encouraging stories come from campuses rising from Honorable Mention to Bronze. Institutions such as Illinois State University and California State University, Chico, advanced this year by taking the League’s previous recommendations seriously. Illinois State partnered with the Town of Normal on a “Pedestrian and Roadway Campus Safety Initiative,” expanding bike networks and improving safety across campus and community alike.
The Power of Community
The BFU program doesn’t succeed on infrastructure alone. Partnerships—real, long-term, multi-stakeholder partnerships—are often what transform a good campus bike program into a great one.
Virginia Commonwealth University is a standout. Renewing its Gold status, VCU’s strategy is unapologetically citywide. “We realize that biking is bigger than us. Rather than focus solely on the university population, VCU’s bike program encourages youth and diverse populations across the city to bike more. We hope this will influence the culture of Richmond as a whole.”
It’s a reminder that when universities treat bikes as community-building tools, the impact extends well beyond the edge of campus. Cities gain healthier mobility options. Youth gain new opportunities. And entire regions start to see what’s possible when bicycles aren’t sidelined—they’re celebrated.
This round’s honorees range from small campuses such as M State Fergus Falls in Minnesota, with just 700 students, to giants such as Arizona State University’s Tempe campus, home to more than 74,000 students.
The next application deadline—for universities eager to join the 2026 round—is Aug. 5, 2026.