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Academy of Allied Health Careers tops our 2026 ranking of the most age-diverse colleges in Tennessee. It scores 87.8 out of 100 for age diversity. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 50.3, and gender diversity 39.2.
by our College Data Analytics TeamIf you’re seeking a diverse and multi-faceted college experience, you’ve come to the right place. The ranking below was designed to help you find 55 colleges that stand out for their student bodies in Tennessee, using our 2026 methodology.
Our ranking weighs the range of student ages (the mix of traditional and non-traditional-age students). So you can compare your options, College Factual analyzed 55 colleges, drawing primarily on U.S. Department of Education data (IPEDS and College Scorecard). Learn more about our ranking methodology.
Your ideal mix depends on what matters most to you. Drill down by location, or explore the overall, racial-ethnic, gender, economic, and age diversity rankings, or other rankings below.
Looking to pit your favorite colleges against each other? We built a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter most to you.
Explore the leading colleges below:
Academy of Allied Health Careers tops our 2026 ranking of the most age-diverse colleges in Tennessee. It scores 87.8 out of 100 for age diversity. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 50.3, and gender diversity 39.2.
A rank of #2 makes Carson-Newman University one of the most age-diverse colleges in Tennessee. On age diversity, it scores 86.2 out of 100. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 45.8, and gender diversity 94.8.
Out of the 55 colleges in Tennessee in this year's ranking, Union University landed the #3 spot. The school's age diversity score is 85.7 out of 100. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 55.6, alongside a 91.3 gender-diversity score.
Nashville State Community College earned the #4 place in Tennessee. On age diversity, it scores 85.0 out of 100. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 63.2, with a gender-diversity score of 94.3.
Austin Peay State University came in at #5 on this year's Most Age-Diverse Colleges ranking in Tennessee. On age diversity, it scores 84.4 out of 100. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 63.7, and gender diversity 97.1.
University of Memphis ranked #6 on our 2026 list of the most age-diverse colleges. It scores 84.2 out of 100 for age diversity. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 67.7, alongside a 97.4 gender-diversity score.
King University earned the #7 position in Tennessee. On age diversity, it scores 83.4 out of 100. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 44.4, alongside a 94.9 gender-diversity score.
Southwest Tennessee Community College earned the #8 position in Tennessee. Southwest Tennessee Community College scores 82.2 out of 100 for age diversity. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 48.9, alongside a 93.7 gender-diversity score.
Le Moyne-Owen College ranked #9 on our 2026 list of the most age-diverse colleges. On age diversity, it scores 81.6 out of 100. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 11.3, alongside a 96.6 gender-diversity score.
Jenny Lea Academy of Cosmetology landed the #10 spot in Tennessee this year. The school's age diversity score is 81.6 out of 100. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 35.1, with a gender-diversity score of 49.3.
Northeast State Community College ranked #11 on our 2026 list of the most age-diverse colleges. On age diversity, it scores 80.5 out of 100. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 29.0, alongside a 99.9 gender-diversity score.
Christian Brothers University came in at #12 in this year's ranking. The school's age diversity score is 80.5 out of 100. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 80.0, with a gender-diversity score of 99.6.
Chattanooga State Community College came in at #13 in this year's ranking. The school's age diversity score is 79.8 out of 100. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 51.0, alongside a 95.7 gender-diversity score.
Tennessee College of Applied Technology - Murfreesboro landed the #14 spot in Tennessee this year. It scores 78.3 out of 100 for age diversity. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 61.9, alongside a 92.1 gender-diversity score.
Baptist Health Sciences University earned the #15 position in Tennessee. The school's age diversity score is 78.1 out of 100. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 55.1, alongside a 46.9 gender-diversity score.
Tennessee College of Applied Technology - Morristown came in at #16 in this year's ranking. On age diversity, it scores 78.1 out of 100. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 26.6, alongside a 82.7 gender-diversity score.
Volunteer State Community College placed #17 among the most age-diverse colleges in Tennessee. On age diversity, it scores 77.9 out of 100. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 47.6, and gender diversity 95.4.
East Tennessee State University landed the #18 spot in Tennessee this year. East Tennessee State University scores 77.8 out of 100 for age diversity. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 48.8, and gender diversity 95.7.
Dyersburg State Community College landed the #19 spot in Tennessee this year. On age diversity, it scores 77.6 out of 100. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 45.3, alongside a 89.8 gender-diversity score.
Jackson State Community College came in at #20 in this year's ranking. The school's age diversity score is 77.1 out of 100. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 46.8, with a gender-diversity score of 89.3.
Paul Mitchell the School Memphis placed #21 among the most age-diverse colleges in Tennessee. It scores 77.0 out of 100 for age diversity. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 38.9, alongside a 11.2 gender-diversity score.
Empire Beauty School-E Memphis placed #22 among the most age-diverse colleges in Tennessee. Empire Beauty School-E Memphis scores 76.7 out of 100 for age diversity. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 26.1, with a gender-diversity score of 7.2.
Tennessee College of Applied Technology - Nashville came in at #23 in this year's ranking. The school's age diversity score is 76.6 out of 100. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 70.3, and gender diversity 92.0.
Tennessee College of Applied Technology - Shelbyville came in at #24 in this year's ranking. On age diversity, it scores 76.3 out of 100. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 41.0, and gender diversity 67.7.
Middle Tennessee State University landed the #25 spot in Tennessee this year. It scores 76.2 out of 100 for age diversity. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 57.0, alongside a 99.5 gender-diversity score.
Not far behind, these colleges also rank among the most age-diverse this year:
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
This ranking is based on the range of student ages (the mix of traditional and non-traditional-age students). The racial-ethnic minorities percentage is calculated by taking the total number of students, subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity is unknown, and dividing by total enrollment.
The ranking above is published by College Factual, 2026 edition.
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.