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Leading the list is Leech Lake Tribal College, our #1 most age-diverse college in Plains States. On age diversity, it scores 92.0 out of 100. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 20.4, and gender diversity 94.8.
by our College Data Analytics TeamIf you’re seeking a diverse and multi-faceted college experience, you’ve come to the right place. This list highlights 205 institutions ranked on age diversity in Plains States, using our 2026 methodology.
Our ranking weighs the range of student ages (the mix of traditional and non-traditional-age students). To arm you with the information you need, College Factual analyzed 205 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.
Want to compare schools head to head? We built a tool called College Combat to build custom comparisons using the factors most important to you.
Explore the leading colleges below:
Leading the list is Leech Lake Tribal College, our #1 most age-diverse college in Plains States. On age diversity, it scores 92.0 out of 100. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 20.4, and gender diversity 94.8.
A rank of #2 makes Nueta Hidatsa Sahnish College one of the most age-diverse colleges in Plains States. On age diversity, it scores 90.2 out of 100. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 55.8, with a gender-diversity score of 89.7.
A rank of #3 makes Northwest Missouri State University one of the most age-diverse colleges in Plains States. The school's age diversity score is 89.4 out of 100. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 47.4, and gender diversity 93.2.
Out of the 205 colleges in Plains States in this year's ranking, Oglala Lakota College landed the #4 spot. Oglala Lakota College scores 89.0 out of 100 for age diversity. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 11.8, and gender diversity 87.6.
A rank of #5 makes Cankdeska Cikana Community College one of the most age-diverse colleges in Plains States. It scores 88.6 out of 100 for age diversity. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 29.7, alongside a 91.1 gender-diversity score.
Central Methodist University-College of Graduate and Extended Studies earned the #6 position in Plains States. Central Methodist University-College of Graduate and Extended Studies scores 88.3 out of 100 for age diversity. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 37.2, and gender diversity 97.7.
Sisseton Wahpeton College placed #7 among the most age-diverse colleges in Plains States. Sisseton Wahpeton College scores 88.2 out of 100 for age diversity. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 26.9, with a gender-diversity score of 93.3.
William Woods University ranked #8 on our 2026 list of the most age-diverse colleges. The school's age diversity score is 87.6 out of 100. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 54.1, alongside a 94.3 gender-diversity score.
Doane University came in at #9 in this year's ranking. On age diversity, it scores 87.1 out of 100. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 52.1, with a gender-diversity score of 96.1.
Concordia University-Saint Paul earned the #10 position in Plains States. The school's age diversity score is 86.9 out of 100. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 69.8, alongside a 94.7 gender-diversity score.
Trinity Bible College and Graduate School placed #11 among the most age-diverse colleges in Plains States. On age diversity, it scores 86.3 out of 100. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 58.5, with a gender-diversity score of 97.2.
Rockhurst University earned the #12 position in Plains States. It scores 86.1 out of 100 for age diversity. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 53.1, and gender diversity 92.6.
Saint Louis Community College earned the #13 position in Plains States. The school's age diversity score is 85.9 out of 100. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 59.5, with a gender-diversity score of 93.6.
Nebraska Methodist College of Nursing & Allied Health ranked #14 on our 2026 list of the most age-diverse colleges. It scores 85.9 out of 100 for age diversity. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 43.7, and gender diversity 48.4.
Maryville University of Saint Louis placed #15 among the most age-diverse colleges in Plains States. The school's age diversity score is 85.8 out of 100. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 57.5, and gender diversity 83.9.
Dakota State University placed #16 among the most age-diverse colleges in Plains States. The school's age diversity score is 85.6 out of 100. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 41.9, with a gender-diversity score of 99.7.
Barton County Community College earned the #17 position in Plains States. The school's age diversity score is 85.2 out of 100. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 59.2, and gender diversity 100.0.
Kansas City Kansas Community College placed #18 among the most age-diverse colleges in Plains States. On age diversity, it scores 84.9 out of 100. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 71.3, with a gender-diversity score of 98.3.
Park University ranked #19 on our 2026 list of the most age-diverse colleges. It scores 84.6 out of 100 for age diversity. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 74.2, alongside a 99.4 gender-diversity score.
Upper Iowa University landed the #20 spot in Plains States this year. On age diversity, it scores 84.5 out of 100. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 66.7, alongside a 97.5 gender-diversity score.
Wichita Technical Institute ranked #21 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 63.5, with a gender-diversity score of 99.4.
Turtle Mountain Community College came in at #22 in this year's ranking. The school's age diversity score is 84.1 out of 100. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 13.8, and gender diversity 95.8.
Drury University-College of Continuing Professional Studies placed #23 among the most age-diverse colleges in Plains States. It scores 83.9 out of 100 for age diversity. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 52.3, and gender diversity 94.1.
St Catherine University placed #24 among the most age-diverse colleges in Plains States. It scores 83.6 out of 100 for age diversity. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 62.3, and gender diversity 33.4.
Buena Vista University landed the #25 spot in Plains States this year. The school's age diversity score is 83.6 out of 100. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 35.1, with a gender-diversity score of 85.4.
These colleges also placed near the top this year:
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
We measure this ranking 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.
This list is compiled by College Factual, 2026 edition.
References
Read more about our data sources and methodologies.