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Pinnacle Career Institute tops our 2026 ranking of the most geographically diverse colleges in Plains States. It scores 65.5 out of 100 for geographic diversity. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 60.8, and gender diversity 40.5.
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 357 schools ranked on geographic diversity in Plains States, using our 2026 methodology.
We measure this ranking on the geographic origins of the student body (how widely students are drawn from across the country and the world). To arm you with the information you need, College Factual reviewed 357 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. Narrow your list by location, or explore the overall, racial-ethnic, gender, economic, and age diversity rankings, or other rankings below.
Ready to build your own comparison? Try our tool College Combat to build custom comparisons using the factors most important to you.
Explore the leading colleges below:
Pinnacle Career Institute tops our 2026 ranking of the most geographically diverse colleges in Plains States. It scores 65.5 out of 100 for geographic diversity. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 60.8, and gender diversity 40.5.
Out of the 357 colleges in Plains States in this year's ranking, Grinnell College landed the #2 spot. It scores 64.2 out of 100 for geographic diversity. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 67.5, with a gender-diversity score of 99.6.
Washington University in St Louis came in at #3 on this year's Most Geographically Diverse Colleges ranking in Plains States. It scores 64.1 out of 100 for geographic diversity. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 74.7, and gender diversity 99.8.
Capella University earned the #4 place in Plains States. It scores 64.0 out of 100 for geographic diversity. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 64.9, and gender diversity 64.2.
Out of the 357 colleges in Plains States in this year's ranking, Maharishi International University landed the #5 spot. Maharishi International University scores 63.6 out of 100 for geographic diversity. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 73.4, with a gender-diversity score of 99.4.
Carleton College earned the #6 position in Plains States. On geographic diversity, it scores 63.5 out of 100. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 69.8, and gender diversity 100.0.
Macalester College earned the #7 position in Plains States. It scores 63.5 out of 100 for geographic diversity. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 68.3, alongside a 98.2 gender-diversity score.
Walden University landed the #8 spot in Plains States this year. On geographic diversity, it scores 62.8 out of 100. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 64.0, and gender diversity 64.6.
Waldorf University placed #9 among the most geographically diverse colleges in Plains States. The school's geographic diversity score is 62.2 out of 100. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 59.3, alongside a 95.9 gender-diversity score.
Urshan University ranked #10 on our 2026 list of the most geographically diverse colleges. The school's geographic diversity score is 60.8 out of 100. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 43.0, alongside a 97.5 gender-diversity score.
Bellevue University ranked #11 on our 2026 list of the most geographically diverse colleges. On geographic diversity, it scores 60.2 out of 100. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 67.8, with a gender-diversity score of 99.1.
Benedictine College ranked #12 on our 2026 list of the most geographically diverse colleges. Benedictine College scores 60.1 out of 100 for geographic diversity. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 41.9, and gender diversity 100.0.
Ottawa University-Ottawa ranked #13 on our 2026 list of the most geographically diverse colleges. On geographic diversity, it scores 55.1 out of 100. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 67.1, with a gender-diversity score of 95.6.
Creighton University ranked #14 on our 2026 list of the most geographically diverse colleges. The school's geographic diversity score is 53.7 out of 100. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 55.5, and gender diversity 98.3.
Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary came in at #15 in this year's ranking. It scores 53.7 out of 100 for geographic diversity. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 62.2, alongside a 78.8 gender-diversity score.
Rasmussen University-Minnesota came in at #16 in this year's ranking. Rasmussen University-Minnesota scores 53.6 out of 100 for geographic diversity. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 66.5, and gender diversity 61.6.
Cornell College ranked #17 on our 2026 list of the most geographically diverse colleges. It scores 53.2 out of 100 for geographic diversity. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 49.8, with a gender-diversity score of 99.7.
Graceland University-Lamoni placed #18 among the most geographically diverse colleges in Plains States. The school's geographic diversity score is 52.8 out of 100. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 69.4, and gender diversity 99.7.
William Penn University earned the #19 position in Plains States. William Penn University scores 52.8 out of 100 for geographic diversity. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 63.1, alongside a 100.0 gender-diversity score.
Dordt University ranked #20 on our 2026 list of the most geographically diverse colleges. It scores 52.1 out of 100 for geographic diversity. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 39.2, with a gender-diversity score of 99.7.
University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy in St. Louis earned the #21 position in Plains States. On geographic diversity, it scores 51.9 out of 100. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 58.4, alongside a 96.3 gender-diversity score.
Barclay College came in at #22 in this year's ranking. Barclay College scores 51.8 out of 100 for geographic diversity. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 73.8, with a gender-diversity score of 99.3.
Central Christian College of Kansas landed the #23 spot in Plains States this year. It scores 51.3 out of 100 for geographic diversity. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 66.4, with a gender-diversity score of 100.0.
University of Mary ranked #24 on our 2026 list of the most geographically diverse colleges. It scores 51.1 out of 100 for geographic diversity. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 48.3, and gender diversity 96.5.
Park University earned the #25 position in Plains States. On geographic diversity, it scores 50.9 out of 100. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 74.2, and gender diversity 99.4.
These colleges also placed near the top this year:
Click any college name below to learn more:
| Rank | College | Geographic Diversity Score |
|---|---|---|
| 51 | Evangel University | 43.4 |
| 52 | Luther College | 43.2 |
| 53 | Kansas Wesleyan University | 43.1 |
| 54 | Drake University | 42.9 |
These colleges also rank near the top this year:
| Rank | College | Geographic Diversity Score |
|---|---|---|
| 55 | Bethel College-North Newton | 42.8 |
| 56 | Sterling College | 42.4 |
| 57 | Kansas Christian College | 42.3 |
| 58 | Kansas City Art Institute | 42.1 |
| 59 | Crown College | 41.6 |
| 60 | University of Dubuque | 41.4 |
| 61 | Minneapolis College of Art and Design | 41.1 |
| 62 | Hannibal-LaGrange University | 40.7 |
| 63 | Coffeyville Community College | 40.6 |
| 64 | Saint Louis University | 40.0 |
| 65 | University of Saint Mary | 39.6 |
| 66 | Independence Community College | 39.1 |
| 67 | Webster University | 39.1 |
| 68 | University of Kansas | 38.9 |
| 69 | William Woods University | 38.5 |
| Rank | College | Geographic Diversity Score |
|---|---|---|
| 70 | Mount Marty University | 38.5 |
| 71 | Southwestern College | 37.8 |
| 72 | Lindenwood University | 37.4 |
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
This ranking is based 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.
These rankings are produced by College Factual, 2026 edition.
References
Read more about our data sources and methodologies.
