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Our analysis found MTI College to be the most geographically diverse college in California. MTI College scores 64.7 out of 100 for geographic diversity. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 72.1, and gender diversity 76.3.
by our College Data Analytics Team
If you’re seeking a diverse and multi-faceted college experience, you’ve come to the right place. This list highlights 396 institutions ranked on geographic diversity in California, using our 2026 methodology.
This ranking is based on the geographic origins of the student body (how widely students are drawn from across the country and the world). So you can compare your options, College Factual reviewed 396 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. 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.
Here are the top-ranked colleges:
Our analysis found MTI College to be the most geographically diverse college in California. MTI College scores 64.7 out of 100 for geographic diversity. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 72.1, and gender diversity 76.3.
Pomona College earned the #2 place in California. Pomona College scores 59.4 out of 100 for geographic diversity. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 83.1, with a gender-diversity score of 99.3.
Los Angeles Film School earned the #3 place in California. On geographic diversity, it scores 59.3 out of 100. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 76.3, alongside a 95.1 gender-diversity score.
You'll find a welcoming community at University of Massachusetts Global, which ranked #4 this year. It scores 59.3 out of 100 for geographic diversity. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 66.7, with a gender-diversity score of 86.6.
Out of the 396 colleges in California in this year's ranking, Academy of Art University landed the #5 spot. Academy of Art University scores 58.4 out of 100 for geographic diversity. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 84.9, and gender diversity 96.8.
Thomas Aquinas College ranked #6 on our 2026 list of the most geographically diverse colleges. The school's geographic diversity score is 57.5 out of 100. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 53.5, alongside a 100.0 gender-diversity score.
California Institute of Arts & Technology landed the #7 spot in California this year. It scores 56.9 out of 100 for geographic diversity. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 71.6, and gender diversity 69.1.
Lionel University landed the #8 spot in California this year. On geographic diversity, it scores 56.6 out of 100. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 61.8, and gender diversity 99.3.
California Institute of Technology earned the #9 position in California. The school's geographic diversity score is 56.2 out of 100. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 72.7, alongside a 96.4 gender-diversity score.
Northeastern University Oakland came in at #10 in this year's ranking. It scores 55.6 out of 100 for geographic diversity. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 78.1, and gender diversity 100.0.
Stanford University came in at #11 in this year's ranking. It scores 54.6 out of 100 for geographic diversity. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 82.7, and gender diversity 99.7.
University of the People landed the #12 spot in California this year. It scores 54.3 out of 100 for geographic diversity. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 27.7, alongside a 99.2 gender-diversity score.
Claremont McKenna College landed the #13 spot in California this year. Claremont McKenna College scores 51.6 out of 100 for geographic diversity. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 78.6, alongside a 100.0 gender-diversity score.
National University came in at #14 in this year's ranking. It scores 51.2 out of 100 for geographic diversity. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 72.1, with a gender-diversity score of 96.0.
University of Southern California ranked #15 on our 2026 list of the most geographically diverse colleges. It scores 51.1 out of 100 for geographic diversity. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 79.6, and gender diversity 99.8.
Occidental College ranked #16 on our 2026 list of the most geographically diverse colleges. Occidental College scores 50.8 out of 100 for geographic diversity. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 69.9, and gender diversity 97.5.
New York Film Academy placed #17 among the most geographically diverse colleges in California. The school's geographic diversity score is 50.0 out of 100. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 65.0, and gender diversity 98.8.
Scripps College placed #18 among the most geographically diverse colleges in California. It scores 49.7 out of 100 for geographic diversity. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 66.4, and gender diversity 6.2.
Harvey Mudd College ranked #19 on our 2026 list of the most geographically diverse colleges. The school's geographic diversity score is 48.3 out of 100. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 83.5, alongside a 99.9 gender-diversity score.
Pitzer College ranked #20 on our 2026 list of the most geographically diverse colleges. Pitzer College scores 47.0 out of 100 for geographic diversity. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 74.4, and gender diversity 97.7.
California College of the Arts ranked #21 on our 2026 list of the most geographically diverse colleges. On geographic diversity, it scores 45.7 out of 100. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 77.6, with a gender-diversity score of 91.2.
University of San Diego ranked #22 on our 2026 list of the most geographically diverse colleges. University of San Diego scores 45.2 out of 100 for geographic diversity. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 73.2, alongside a 98.9 gender-diversity score.
Pepperdine University placed #23 among the most geographically diverse colleges in California. The school's geographic diversity score is 44.9 out of 100. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 75.9, with a gender-diversity score of 91.5.
Musicians Institute earned the #24 position in California. The school's geographic diversity score is 44.8 out of 100. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 79.2, and gender diversity 85.4.
San Francisco Conservatory of Music came in at #25 in this year's ranking. On geographic diversity, it scores 43.9 out of 100. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 72.2, with a gender-diversity score of 98.5.
These colleges rounded out the top of the list:
Click any college name below to learn more:
| Rank | College | Geographic Diversity Score |
|---|---|---|
| 51 | Yeshiva Ohr Elchonon Chabad West Coast Talmudical Seminary | 25.6 |
| 52 | Providence Christian College | 25.5 |
| 53 | Carrington College-Sacramento | 25.4 |
| 54 | Reach University | 25.3 |
| 55 | Concordia University-Irvine | 25.0 |
| 56 | University of Redlands | 24.4 |
| 57 | Simpson University | 24.0 |
| 58 | University of California-Irvine | 22.8 |
| 59 | University of California-Los Angeles | 22.7 |
| 60 | William Jessup University | 22.6 |
These colleges also rank near the top this year:
| Rank | College | Geographic Diversity Score |
|---|---|---|
| 61 | Institute of Culinary Education | 22.3 |
| 62 | University of California-San Diego | 22.2 |
| 63 | Laguna College of Art and Design | 22.2 |
| 64 | Asher College | 22.1 |
| 65 | Pacific Union College | 21.6 |
| 66 | Feather River Community College District | 21.1 |
| 67 | University of California-Davis | 19.6 |
| 68 | University of California-Santa Barbara | 19.6 |
| 69 | Lincoln University | 19.6 |
| 70 | California Aeronautical University | 19.4 |
| 71 | California Lutheran University | 19.3 |
| 72 | Dominican University of California | 19.2 |
| 73 | University of the Pacific | 19.0 |
| 74 | University of California-Berkeley | 18.9 |
| 75 | California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo | 18.8 |
| Rank | College | Geographic Diversity Score |
|---|---|---|
| 76 | Saint Mary’s College of California | 17.9 |
| 77 | The Fab School | 16.8 |
| 78 | Azusa Pacific University | 16.4 |
| 79 | La Sierra University | 16.3 |
| 80 | Woodbury University | 15.8 |
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
We measure this ranking on the geographic origins of the student body (how widely students are drawn from across the country and the world). 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.
