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 107 institutions by economic diversity in Louisiana, using our 2026 methodology.
Our ranking weighs the economic backgrounds of the student body (the mix of income levels). To arm you with the information you need, College Factual evaluated 107 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 to weigh schools on the factors you care about most.
Learn more about these economically diverse colleges below:
Leading the list is Baton Rouge General School of Nursing, our #1 most economically diverse college in Louisiana. On economic diversity, it scores 100.0 out of 100. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 39.5, alongside a 47.1 gender-diversity score.
Out of the 107 colleges in Louisiana in this year's ranking, Louisiana State University-Eunice landed the #2 spot. The school's economic diversity score is 100.0 out of 100. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 46.8, with a gender-diversity score of 79.7.
You'll find a welcoming community at University of Holy Cross, which ranked #3 this year. It scores 100.0 out of 100 for economic diversity. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 69.0, alongside a 86.3 gender-diversity score.
SOWELA Technical Community College earned the #4 place in Louisiana. It scores 100.0 out of 100 for economic diversity. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 50.7, alongside a 99.6 gender-diversity score.
John Jay Beauty College earned the #5 place in Louisiana. The school's economic diversity score is 99.9 out of 100. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 42.7, and gender diversity 5.9.
Aveda Arts & Sciences Institute, Baton Rouge landed the #6 spot in Louisiana this year. It scores 99.9 out of 100 for economic diversity. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 45.3, alongside a 14.4 gender-diversity score.
Aveda Arts & Sciences Institute, Lafayette landed the #7 spot in Louisiana this year. Aveda Arts & Sciences Institute, Lafayette scores 99.9 out of 100 for economic diversity. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 42.5, alongside a 9.9 gender-diversity score.
Aveda Arts & Sciences Institute, Covington earned the #8 position in Louisiana. The school's economic diversity score is 99.9 out of 100. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 61.1, and gender diversity 18.4.
Omega Institute of Cosmetology earned the #9 position in Louisiana. Omega Institute of Cosmetology scores 99.9 out of 100 for economic diversity.
University of New Orleans landed the #10 spot in Louisiana this year. University of New Orleans scores 99.9 out of 100 for economic diversity. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 73.8, alongside a 99.8 gender-diversity score.
J's Barber College earned the #11 position in Louisiana. On economic diversity, it scores 99.7 out of 100.
University of Louisiana at Monroe earned the #12 position in Louisiana. It scores 99.7 out of 100 for economic diversity. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 57.2, with a gender-diversity score of 90.9.
Northwestern State University of Louisiana ranked #13 on our 2026 list of the most economically diverse colleges. Northwestern State University of Louisiana scores 99.7 out of 100 for economic diversity. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 57.3, and gender diversity 87.9.
Academy of Interactive Entertainment earned the #14 position in Louisiana. Academy of Interactive Entertainment scores 99.5 out of 100 for economic diversity.
Bridges Christian College ranked #15 on our 2026 list of the most economically diverse colleges. It scores 99.5 out of 100 for economic diversity. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 25.9, alongside a 99.0 gender-diversity score.
River Parishes Community College placed #16 among the most economically diverse colleges in Louisiana. River Parishes Community College scores 99.5 out of 100 for economic diversity. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 53.8, and gender diversity 99.9.
Louisiana State University-Shreveport earned the #17 position in Louisiana. The school's economic diversity score is 99.5 out of 100. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 66.3, and gender diversity 97.4.
Louisiana Christian University earned the #18 position in Louisiana. On economic diversity, it scores 99.5 out of 100. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 53.8, and gender diversity 100.0.
Pineville Beauty School came in at #19 in this year's ranking. The school's economic diversity score is 99.3 out of 100.
Centenary College of Louisiana came in at #20 in this year's ranking. Centenary College of Louisiana scores 99.3 out of 100 for economic diversity. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 59.0, with a gender-diversity score of 100.0.
University of Louisiana at Lafayette ranked #21 on our 2026 list of the most economically diverse colleges. It scores 99.3 out of 100 for economic diversity. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 57.3, and gender diversity 98.2.
Xavier University of Louisiana ranked #22 on our 2026 list of the most economically diverse colleges. The school's economic diversity score is 99.3 out of 100. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 44.1, and gender diversity 80.0.
Denham Springs Beauty School placed #23 among the most economically diverse colleges in Louisiana. It scores 99.0 out of 100 for economic diversity. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 17.1, with a gender-diversity score of 13.6.
Southeastern Louisiana University came in at #24 in this year's ranking. The school's economic diversity score is 99.0 out of 100. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 55.6, with a gender-diversity score of 94.8.
Louisiana State University-Alexandria earned the #25 position in Louisiana. The school's economic diversity score is 98.6 out of 100. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 56.6, alongside a 87.0 gender-diversity score.
These colleges rounded out the top of the list:
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
Our ranking weighs the economic backgrounds of the student body (the mix of income levels). 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
See our data sources and methodologies.
