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No school ranked more geographically diverse than Grinnell College this year in Iowa. Grinnell College scores 64.2 out of 100 for geographic diversity. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 67.5, alongside a 99.6 gender-diversity score.
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 57 schools by geographic diversity in Iowa, 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). To arm you with the information you need, College Factual reviewed 57 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.
Want to compare schools head to head? We built a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter most to you.
Here are the top-ranked colleges:
No school ranked more geographically diverse than Grinnell College this year in Iowa. Grinnell College scores 64.2 out of 100 for geographic diversity. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 67.5, alongside a 99.6 gender-diversity score.
Maharishi International University came in at #2 on this year's Most Geographically Diverse Colleges ranking in Iowa. On geographic diversity, it scores 63.6 out of 100. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 73.4, alongside a 99.4 gender-diversity score.
Waldorf University came in at #3 on this year's Most Geographically Diverse Colleges ranking in Iowa. Waldorf University scores 62.2 out of 100 for geographic diversity. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 59.3, alongside a 95.9 gender-diversity score.
You'll find a welcoming community at Cornell College, which ranked #4 this year. The school's geographic diversity score is 53.2 out of 100. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 49.8, with a gender-diversity score of 99.7.
Graceland University-Lamoni earned the #5 place in Iowa. On geographic diversity, it scores 52.8 out of 100. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 69.4, and gender diversity 99.7.
William Penn University earned the #6 position in Iowa. On geographic diversity, it scores 52.8 out of 100. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 63.1, and gender diversity 100.0.
Dordt University landed the #7 spot in Iowa this year. It scores 52.1 out of 100 for geographic diversity. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 39.2, alongside a 99.7 gender-diversity score.
Clarke University ranked #8 on our 2026 list of the most geographically diverse colleges. It scores 49.2 out of 100 for geographic diversity. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 63.9, alongside a 100.0 gender-diversity score.
Faith Baptist Bible College and Theological Seminary placed #9 among the most geographically diverse colleges in Iowa. On geographic diversity, it scores 49.0 out of 100. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 33.2, with a gender-diversity score of 99.8.
Briar Cliff University earned the #10 position in Iowa. Briar Cliff University scores 48.2 out of 100 for geographic diversity. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 55.6, and gender diversity 98.2.
Emmaus Bible College placed #11 among the most geographically diverse colleges in Iowa. The school's geographic diversity score is 44.5 out of 100. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 48.0, alongside a 99.9 gender-diversity score.
Coe College landed the #12 spot in Iowa this year. It scores 44.5 out of 100 for geographic diversity. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 59.1, with a gender-diversity score of 100.0.
Luther College earned the #13 position in Iowa. The school's geographic diversity score is 43.2 out of 100. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 44.6, and gender diversity 99.6.
Drake University ranked #14 on our 2026 list of the most geographically diverse colleges. On geographic diversity, it scores 42.9 out of 100. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 44.5, and gender diversity 95.1.
University of Dubuque earned the #15 position in Iowa. It scores 41.4 out of 100 for geographic diversity. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 52.5, and gender diversity 99.1.
Morningside University landed the #16 spot in Iowa this year. Morningside University scores 37.3 out of 100 for geographic diversity. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 42.9, and gender diversity 90.0.
Upper Iowa University earned the #17 position in Iowa. It scores 36.9 out of 100 for geographic diversity. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 66.7, alongside a 97.5 gender-diversity score.
Northwestern College came in at #18 in this year's ranking. Northwestern College scores 34.4 out of 100 for geographic diversity. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 42.6, with a gender-diversity score of 95.0.
Iowa State University ranked #19 on our 2026 list of the most geographically diverse colleges. The school's geographic diversity score is 33.6 out of 100. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 50.5, and gender diversity 99.4.
University of Iowa placed #20 among the most geographically diverse colleges in Iowa. On geographic diversity, it scores 30.3 out of 100. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 50.5, with a gender-diversity score of 99.1.
Iowa Western Community College earned the #21 position in Iowa. The school's geographic diversity score is 29.5 out of 100. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 62.5, alongside a 100.0 gender-diversity score.
Wartburg College landed the #22 spot in Iowa this year. It scores 29.1 out of 100 for geographic diversity. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 37.7, alongside a 99.9 gender-diversity score.
Loras College ranked #23 on our 2026 list of the most geographically diverse colleges. It scores 28.7 out of 100 for geographic diversity. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 47.0, and gender diversity 98.8.
Ellsworth Community College ranked #24 on our 2026 list of the most geographically diverse colleges. Ellsworth Community College scores 28.7 out of 100 for geographic diversity. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 50.2, alongside a 99.5 gender-diversity score.
Simpson College earned the #25 position in Iowa. It scores 27.0 out of 100 for geographic diversity. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 44.7, alongside a 99.7 gender-diversity score.
These colleges also placed near the top 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.
