The effect of solvents on the gain and the peaks of gain spectra is investigated for rhodamine 6G (R6G) under nitrogen laser pumping. The non-specific solute-solvent interaction for R6G is found to be mainly dispersive. Additional shifts produced for R6G in certain solvents are explained as due to hydrogen bonding. The gain characteristics are interpreted on the basis of the position and overlap of absorption and fluorescence spectra, the quantum yield, the absorption at the pumping wavelength and the refractive index of the solvent. For the solvents studied it is found that R6G has high gain in solvents with low refractive index and high polarity. Amongst the solvents studied the alcohols displayed the highest gain with methanol being the most suitable solvent. The lowest gain amongst the alcohols was with capryllic alcohol which gave a gain that was 69% of that obtained with methanol. Amongst all the solvents studied the lowest gain was with chloroform, being only 34% of the gain in methanol.