by our College Data Analytics Team
If 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 191 colleges by ethnic diversity in Illinois, using our 2026 methodology.
This ranking is based on the racial and ethnic makeup of the student body. So you can compare your options, College Factual reviewed 191 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. Refine the list 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 ethnically diverse colleges below:
Pacific College of Health and Science tops our 2026 ranking of the most ethnically diverse colleges in Illinois. Pacific College of Health and Science scores 80.0 out of 100 for ethnic diversity. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 80.0, and gender diversity 53.1.
A rank of #2 makes Northwestern University one of the most ethnically diverse colleges in Illinois. Northwestern University scores 78.8 out of 100 for ethnic diversity. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 78.8, with a gender-diversity score of 99.4.
Out of the 191 colleges in Illinois in this year's ranking, Roosevelt University landed the #3 spot. Roosevelt University scores 78.2 out of 100 for ethnic diversity. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 78.2, and gender diversity 95.8.
Out of the 191 colleges in Illinois in this year's ranking, North Park University landed the #4 spot. It scores 77.4 out of 100 for ethnic diversity. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 77.4, with a gender-diversity score of 97.6.
You'll find a welcoming community at University of Illinois Chicago, which ranked #5 this year. The school's ethnic diversity score is 76.8 out of 100. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 76.8, with a gender-diversity score of 99.1.
University of Chicago came in at #6 in this year's ranking. University of Chicago scores 76.7 out of 100 for ethnic diversity. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 76.7, with a gender-diversity score of 99.5.
Benedictine University landed the #7 spot in Illinois this year. Benedictine University scores 75.9 out of 100 for ethnic diversity. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 75.9, with a gender-diversity score of 99.2.
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign earned the #8 position in Illinois. The school's ethnic diversity score is 75.4 out of 100. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 75.4, alongside a 99.4 gender-diversity score.
Trinity International University-Illinois placed #9 among the most ethnically diverse colleges in Illinois. On ethnic diversity, it scores 74.6 out of 100. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 74.6, with a gender-diversity score of 93.4.
School of the Art Institute of Chicago ranked #10 on our 2026 list of the most ethnically diverse colleges. It scores 74.4 out of 100 for ethnic diversity. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 74.4, and gender diversity 81.7.
Tricoci University of Beauty Culture-Elgin came in at #11 in this year's ranking. It scores 74.4 out of 100 for ethnic diversity. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 74.4, and gender diversity 11.8.
DePaul University ranked #12 on our 2026 list of the most ethnically diverse colleges. On ethnic diversity, it scores 74.2 out of 100. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 74.2, alongside a 99.3 gender-diversity score.
Pivot Point Academy placed #13 among the most ethnically diverse colleges in Illinois. Pivot Point Academy scores 73.7 out of 100 for ethnic diversity. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 73.7, with a gender-diversity score of 54.2.
Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary ranked #14 on our 2026 list of the most ethnically diverse colleges. On ethnic diversity, it scores 73.5 out of 100. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 73.5, alongside a 98.9 gender-diversity score.
Catholic Theological Union at Chicago earned the #15 position in Illinois. On ethnic diversity, it scores 73.2 out of 100. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 73.2, alongside a 95.2 gender-diversity score.
Oakton College came in at #16 in this year's ranking. The school's ethnic diversity score is 72.8 out of 100. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 72.8, with a gender-diversity score of 100.0.
Rockford University came in at #17 in this year's ranking. The school's ethnic diversity score is 72.4 out of 100. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 72.4, and gender diversity 98.2.
Illinois College of Optometry ranked #18 on our 2026 list of the most ethnically diverse colleges. On ethnic diversity, it scores 71.9 out of 100. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 71.9, and gender diversity 82.6.
Governors State University came in at #19 in this year's ranking. On ethnic diversity, it scores 71.7 out of 100. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 71.7, and gender diversity 94.9.
National Louis University earned the #20 position in Illinois. It scores 71.3 out of 100 for ethnic diversity. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 71.3, with a gender-diversity score of 79.3.
Judson University ranked #21 on our 2026 list of the most ethnically diverse colleges. It scores 70.9 out of 100 for ethnic diversity. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 70.9, with a gender-diversity score of 99.2.
Lake Forest College ranked #22 on our 2026 list of the most ethnically diverse colleges. The school's ethnic diversity score is 70.8 out of 100. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 70.8, and gender diversity 98.6.
McCormick Theological Seminary ranked #23 on our 2026 list of the most ethnically diverse colleges. McCormick Theological Seminary scores 70.6 out of 100 for ethnic diversity. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 70.6, alongside a 95.3 gender-diversity score.
Loyola University Chicago ranked #24 on our 2026 list of the most ethnically diverse colleges. It scores 70.0 out of 100 for ethnic diversity. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 70.0, alongside a 90.5 gender-diversity score.
Adler University ranked #25 on our 2026 list of the most ethnically diverse colleges. The school's ethnic diversity score is 70.0 out of 100. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 70.0, with a gender-diversity score of 70.0.
Not far behind, these colleges also rank among the most ethnically diverse this year:
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
We measure this ranking on the racial and ethnic makeup of the student body. 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.
These rankings are produced by College Factual, 2026 edition.
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.
