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Vanderbilt University earned the #1 spot in this year's Most Geographically Diverse Colleges ranking in Tennessee. The school's geographic diversity score is 65.8 out of 100. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 72.7, and gender diversity 98.8.
by our College Data Analytics Team
If you’re seeking a diverse and multi-faceted college experience, you’ve come to the right place. We have ranked 107 schools by geographic diversity in Tennessee, using our 2026 methodology.
Our ranking weighs 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 evaluated 107 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? Try our tool College Combat to build custom comparisons using the factors most important to you.
Explore the leading colleges below:
Vanderbilt University earned the #1 spot in this year's Most Geographically Diverse Colleges ranking in Tennessee. The school's geographic diversity score is 65.8 out of 100. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 72.7, and gender diversity 98.8.
Southern Adventist University came in at #2 on this year's Most Geographically Diverse Colleges ranking in Tennessee. Southern Adventist University scores 60.5 out of 100 for geographic diversity. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 71.8, with a gender-diversity score of 99.0.
A rank of #3 makes Belmont University one of the most geographically diverse colleges in Tennessee. The school's geographic diversity score is 57.6 out of 100. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 44.7, and gender diversity 92.2.
A rank of #4 makes Fisk University one of the most geographically diverse colleges in Tennessee. The school's geographic diversity score is 56.7 out of 100. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 31.3, alongside a 92.1 gender-diversity score.
A rank of #5 makes The University of the South one of the most geographically diverse colleges in Tennessee. On geographic diversity, it scores 56.0 out of 100. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 37.2, with a gender-diversity score of 99.6.
Miller-Motte College-Chattanooga ranked #6 on our 2026 list of the most geographically diverse colleges. The school's geographic diversity score is 54.3 out of 100. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 54.8, alongside a 76.9 gender-diversity score.
Rhodes College earned the #7 position in Tennessee. It scores 53.9 out of 100 for geographic diversity. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 61.2, alongside a 97.9 gender-diversity score.
Tennessee State University came in at #8 in this year's ranking. On geographic diversity, it scores 47.0 out of 100. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 43.2, and gender diversity 93.2.
King University earned the #9 position in Tennessee. The school's geographic diversity score is 45.9 out of 100. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 44.4, and gender diversity 94.9.
Johnson University earned the #10 position in Tennessee. It scores 42.3 out of 100 for geographic diversity. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 48.5, with a gender-diversity score of 99.9.
Lee University placed #11 among the most geographically diverse colleges in Tennessee. On geographic diversity, it scores 42.3 out of 100. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 47.4, alongside a 96.7 gender-diversity score.
Welch College placed #12 among the most geographically diverse colleges in Tennessee. It scores 41.5 out of 100 for geographic diversity. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 42.0, with a gender-diversity score of 99.8.
Tusculum University ranked #13 on our 2026 list of the most geographically diverse colleges. Tusculum University scores 40.0 out of 100 for geographic diversity. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 58.8, with a gender-diversity score of 100.0.
Lipscomb University landed the #14 spot in Tennessee this year. The school's geographic diversity score is 38.4 out of 100. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 50.5, alongside a 93.5 gender-diversity score.
SAE Institute of Technology-Nashville ranked #15 on our 2026 list of the most geographically diverse colleges. SAE Institute of Technology-Nashville scores 38.2 out of 100 for geographic diversity. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 58.2, with a gender-diversity score of 68.7.
Lincoln Memorial University earned the #16 position in Tennessee. Lincoln Memorial University scores 38.2 out of 100 for geographic diversity. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 47.3, with a gender-diversity score of 90.1.
Milligan University placed #17 among the most geographically diverse colleges in Tennessee. On geographic diversity, it scores 37.3 out of 100. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 42.5, with a gender-diversity score of 99.9.
Freed-Hardeman University landed the #18 spot in Tennessee this year. Freed-Hardeman University scores 36.9 out of 100 for geographic diversity. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 37.1, with a gender-diversity score of 98.0.
Lane College landed the #19 spot in Tennessee this year. Lane College scores 36.4 out of 100 for geographic diversity. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 42.8, alongside a 97.8 gender-diversity score.
Union University came in at #20 in this year's ranking. On geographic diversity, it scores 36.1 out of 100. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 55.6, alongside a 91.3 gender-diversity score.
The University of Tennessee-Knoxville placed #21 among the most geographically diverse colleges in Tennessee. On geographic diversity, it scores 35.6 out of 100. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 43.8, alongside a 99.4 gender-diversity score.
South College placed #22 among the most geographically diverse colleges in Tennessee. The school's geographic diversity score is 33.9 out of 100. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 57.8, and gender diversity 62.2.
Le Moyne-Owen College placed #23 among the most geographically diverse colleges in Tennessee. It scores 32.7 out of 100 for geographic diversity. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 11.3, and gender diversity 96.6.
Lincoln College of Technology-Nashville came in at #24 in this year's ranking. On geographic diversity, it scores 32.6 out of 100. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 54.8, alongside a 39.5 gender-diversity score.
Christian Brothers University ranked #25 on our 2026 list of the most geographically diverse colleges. The school's geographic diversity score is 31.7 out of 100. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 80.0, alongside a 99.6 gender-diversity score.
Not far behind, these colleges also rank among the most geographically diverse this year:
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
Our ranking weighs 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.
This list is compiled by College Factual, 2026 edition.
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.
