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Leading the list is East Central College, our #1 most economically diverse college in Missouri. On economic diversity, it scores 100.0 out of 100. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 24.5, with a gender-diversity score of 96.3.
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 126 institutions that stand out for their student bodies in Missouri, using our 2026 methodology.
Our ranking weighs the economic backgrounds of the student body (the mix of income levels). To help you decide, College Factual reviewed 126 colleges, drawing primarily on U.S. Department of Education data (IPEDS and College Scorecard). Learn more about our ranking methodology.
Diversity means different things to different students. Drill down by location, or explore the overall, racial-ethnic, gender, economic, and age diversity rankings, or other rankings below.
Ready to build your own comparison? We built a tool called College Combat to build custom comparisons using the factors most important to you.
Here are the top-ranked colleges:
Leading the list is East Central College, our #1 most economically diverse college in Missouri. On economic diversity, it scores 100.0 out of 100. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 24.5, with a gender-diversity score of 96.3.
You'll find a welcoming community at Midwest Institute, which ranked #2 this year. It scores 100.0 out of 100 for economic diversity. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 49.0, and gender diversity 35.8.
Mineral Area College earned the #3 place in Missouri. Mineral Area College scores 100.0 out of 100 for economic diversity. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 29.8, and gender diversity 94.5.
A rank of #4 makes College of the Ozarks one of the most economically diverse colleges in Missouri. The school's economic diversity score is 100.0 out of 100. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 29.3, alongside a 99.0 gender-diversity score.
Grand River Technical School came in at #5 on this year's Most Economically Diverse Colleges ranking in Missouri. On economic diversity, it scores 100.0 out of 100.
Central Christian College of the Bible placed #6 among the most economically diverse colleges in Missouri. On economic diversity, it scores 100.0 out of 100. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 45.4, with a gender-diversity score of 91.2.
Warrensburg Area Career Center earned the #7 position in Missouri. The school's economic diversity score is 99.9 out of 100.
Ozarks Technical Community College landed the #8 spot in Missouri this year. On economic diversity, it scores 99.9 out of 100. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 36.9, and gender diversity 97.7.
Paul Mitchell the School St Louis came in at #9 in this year's ranking. The school's economic diversity score is 99.9 out of 100. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 37.5, with a gender-diversity score of 22.4.
Healing Arts Center placed #10 among the most economically diverse colleges in Missouri. On economic diversity, it scores 99.7 out of 100. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 55.5, alongside a 82.8 gender-diversity score.
Columbia College ranked #11 on our 2026 list of the most economically diverse colleges. On economic diversity, it scores 99.7 out of 100. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 65.4, and gender diversity 98.2.
Crowder College landed the #12 spot in Missouri this year. Crowder College scores 99.7 out of 100 for economic diversity. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 49.7, and gender diversity 96.1.
Fontbonne University came in at #13 in this year's ranking. On economic diversity, it scores 99.7 out of 100. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 56.1, alongside a 98.0 gender-diversity score.
Ranken Technical College ranked #14 on our 2026 list of the most economically diverse colleges. It scores 99.7 out of 100 for economic diversity. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 52.6, with a gender-diversity score of 45.4.
State Fair Community College ranked #15 on our 2026 list of the most economically diverse colleges. It scores 99.5 out of 100 for economic diversity. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 35.7, alongside a 93.4 gender-diversity score.
North Central Missouri College earned the #16 position in Missouri. On economic diversity, it scores 99.5 out of 100. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 24.0, with a gender-diversity score of 82.7.
Merrell University of Beauty Arts and Science placed #17 among the most economically diverse colleges in Missouri. On economic diversity, it scores 99.5 out of 100. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 36.0, alongside a 18.5 gender-diversity score.
Cottey College earned the #18 position in Missouri. The school's economic diversity score is 99.5 out of 100. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 46.4, alongside a 0.0 gender-diversity score.
City Pointe Beauty Academy earned the #19 position in Missouri. On economic diversity, it scores 99.5 out of 100. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 33.4, with a gender-diversity score of 38.4.
Stephens College earned the #20 position in Missouri. It scores 99.3 out of 100 for economic diversity. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 56.0, alongside a 42.1 gender-diversity score.
New Dimensions School of Hair Design ranked #21 on our 2026 list of the most economically diverse colleges. New Dimensions School of Hair Design scores 99.3 out of 100 for economic diversity.
Chamberlain University-Missouri 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 49.6, and gender diversity 41.9.
Evangel University-James River Assembly of God Church placed #23 among the most economically diverse colleges in Missouri. The school's economic diversity score is 99.3 out of 100. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 40.9, alongside a 99.1 gender-diversity score.
Paul Mitchell the School Springfield earned the #24 position in Missouri. The school's economic diversity score is 99.3 out of 100. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 32.3, and gender diversity 52.6.
Lex La-Ray Technical Center placed #25 among the most economically diverse colleges in Missouri. It scores 99.3 out of 100 for economic diversity.
Not far behind, these colleges also rank among the most economically diverse this year:
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
This ranking is based on 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
More about our data sources and methodologies.