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Leading the list is Academy of Art University, our #1 most diverse college in California. Academy of Art University scores 84.6 out of 100 for overall diversity. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 84.9, and gender diversity 96.8.
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 423 institutions by overall diversity in California, using our 2026 methodology.
We measure this ranking on several factors of the student body: racial/ethnic makeup, geographic origin, gender balance, and age range. So you can compare your options, College Factual evaluated 423 colleges, drawing primarily on U.S. Department of Education data (IPEDS and College Scorecard). Learn more about our ranking methodology.
Not every student measures diversity the same way. Narrow your list 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? Check out College Combat to weigh schools on the factors you care about most.
Explore the leading colleges below:
Leading the list is Academy of Art University, our #1 most diverse college in California. Academy of Art University scores 84.6 out of 100 for overall diversity. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 84.9, and gender diversity 96.8.
Golden Gate University came in at #2 on this year's Most Diverse Colleges ranking in California. Golden Gate University scores 84.2 out of 100 for overall diversity. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 67.6, alongside a 99.8 gender-diversity score.
Out of the 423 colleges in California in this year's ranking, Gnomon landed the #3 spot. Gnomon scores 83.3 out of 100 for overall diversity. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 81.4, with a gender-diversity score of 98.4.
Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey earned the #4 place in California. The school's overall diversity score is 82.0 out of 100. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 70.4, alongside a 90.0 gender-diversity score.
A rank of #5 makes Notre Dame de Namur University one of the most diverse colleges in California. On overall diversity, it scores 81.5 out of 100. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 78.0, with a gender-diversity score of 82.2.
Los Angeles Film School came in at #6 in this year's ranking. The school's overall diversity score is 81.5 out of 100. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 76.3, and gender diversity 95.1.
Casa Loma College-Los Angeles ranked #7 on our 2026 list of the most diverse colleges. Casa Loma College-Los Angeles scores 81.0 out of 100 for overall diversity. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 57.0, with a gender-diversity score of 89.2.
American Academy of Dramatic Arts-Los Angeles earned the #8 position in California. It scores 80.8 out of 100 for overall diversity. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 71.5, with a gender-diversity score of 97.9.
Northcentral University landed the #9 spot in California this year. Northcentral University scores 80.2 out of 100 for overall diversity. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 70.7, and gender diversity 81.8.
Northeastern University Oakland landed the #10 spot in California this year. Northeastern University Oakland scores 79.5 out of 100 for overall diversity. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 78.1, with a gender-diversity score of 100.0.
Lionel University ranked #11 on our 2026 list of the most diverse colleges. On overall diversity, it scores 79.2 out of 100. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 61.8, with a gender-diversity score of 99.3.
Los Angeles County College of Nursing and Allied Health ranked #12 on our 2026 list of the most diverse colleges. The school's overall diversity score is 79.1 out of 100. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 59.3, and gender diversity 90.1.
Pomona College landed the #13 spot in California this year. The school's overall diversity score is 78.5 out of 100. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 83.1, alongside a 99.3 gender-diversity score.
West Coast University-Ontario landed the #14 spot in California this year. It scores 78.5 out of 100 for overall diversity. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 61.9, with a gender-diversity score of 78.3.
West Coast University-Orange County came in at #15 in this year's ranking. On overall diversity, it scores 78.5 out of 100. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 66.4, with a gender-diversity score of 75.3.
MTI College landed the #16 spot in California this year. The school's overall diversity score is 78.2 out of 100. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 72.1, and gender diversity 76.3.
West Coast University-Los Angeles came in at #17 in this year's ranking. The school's overall diversity score is 77.9 out of 100. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 64.0, alongside a 74.1 gender-diversity score.
San Francisco Institute of Esthetics & Cosmetology Inc earned the #18 position in California. The school's overall diversity score is 77.5 out of 100. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 73.3, alongside a 57.7 gender-diversity score.
Chamberlain University-California earned the #19 position in California. On overall diversity, it scores 77.1 out of 100. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 68.7, and gender diversity 71.9.
California Institute of Integral Studies earned the #20 position in California. On overall diversity, it scores 76.9 out of 100. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 68.2, and gender diversity 69.3.
National University came in at #21 in this year's ranking. It scores 76.6 out of 100 for overall diversity. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 72.1, and gender diversity 96.0.
Stanford University earned the #22 position in California. The school's overall diversity score is 76.5 out of 100. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 82.7, and gender diversity 99.7.
Antioch University-Santa Barbara placed #23 among the most diverse colleges in California. On overall diversity, it scores 76.4 out of 100. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 60.1, alongside a 80.7 gender-diversity score.
Life Pacific University placed #24 among the most diverse colleges in California. It scores 76.3 out of 100 for overall diversity. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 65.7, and gender diversity 99.3.
Simpson University placed #25 among the most diverse colleges in California. The school's overall diversity score is 75.8 out of 100. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 75.9, and gender diversity 98.9.
Not far behind, these colleges also rank among the most diverse this year:
To learn more about the colleges below, just click on their names:
| Rank | College | Overall Diversity Score |
|---|---|---|
| 51 | La Sierra University | 72.0 |
| 52 | California Institute of Technology | 71.7 |
| 53 | California Baptist University | 71.7 |
| 54 | San Francisco State University | 71.4 |
| 55 | Whittier College | 71.3 |
| 56 | San Diego State University | 71.2 |
| 57 | Saint Mary’s College of California | 71.2 |
| 58 | Woodbury University | 71.0 |
| 59 | Concordia University-Irvine | 71.0 |
| 60 | University of California-Irvine | 70.9 |
| 61 | Carrington College-Sacramento | 70.8 |
| 62 | University of California-San Diego | 70.8 |
| 63 | John Paul the Great Catholic University | 70.8 |
| 64 | University of California-Los Angeles | 70.8 |
These schools also stood out:
| Rank | College | Overall Diversity Score |
|---|---|---|
| 65 | California State University-Sacramento | 70.7 |
| 66 | Barstow Community College | 70.7 |
| 67 | Otis College of Art and Design | 70.6 |
| 68 | Hope International University | 70.5 |
| 69 | University of California-Berkeley | 70.5 |
| 70 | New York Film Academy | 70.4 |
| 71 | Musicians Institute | 70.4 |
| 72 | Los Angeles City College | 70.3 |
| 73 | Santa Monica College | 70.3 |
| 74 | Los Angeles College of Music | 70.2 |
| 75 | San Jose State University | 70.2 |
| 76 | Bellus Academy - Poway | 70.1 |
| 77 | MIXED Institute of Cosmetology & Barber | 70.0 |
| 78 | California Lutheran University | 70.0 |
| 79 | Bethesda University | 70.0 |
| Rank | College | Overall Diversity Score |
|---|---|---|
| 80 | DeVry University-California | 69.9 |
| 81 | Institute of Culinary Education | 69.8 |
| 82 | University of California-Davis | 69.8 |
| 83 | Sacramento City College | 69.7 |
| 84 | Dominican University of California | 69.7 |
| 85 | Glendale Community College | 69.6 |
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
This ranking is based on several factors of the student body: racial/ethnic makeup, geographic representation, gender balance, and age range. 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
See our data sources and methodologies.