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Athens State University earned the #1 spot in this year's Most Diverse Colleges ranking in Alabama. The school's overall diversity score is 79.1 out of 100. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 46.8, with a gender-diversity score of 88.8.
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 64 colleges that stand out for their student bodies in Alabama, 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. To help you decide, College Factual analyzed 64 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. Drill down 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 to build custom comparisons using the factors most important to you.
Learn more about these diverse colleges below:
Athens State University earned the #1 spot in this year's Most Diverse Colleges ranking in Alabama. The school's overall diversity score is 79.1 out of 100. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 46.8, with a gender-diversity score of 88.8.
Out of the 64 colleges in Alabama in this year's ranking, Columbia Southern University landed the #2 spot. Columbia Southern University scores 74.5 out of 100 for overall diversity. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 56.5, with a gender-diversity score of 93.9.
Out of the 64 colleges in Alabama in this year's ranking, Oakwood University landed the #3 spot. It scores 74.0 out of 100 for overall diversity. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 48.4, with a gender-diversity score of 98.1.
Out of the 64 colleges in Alabama in this year's ranking, Faulkner University landed the #4 spot. Faulkner University scores 73.6 out of 100 for overall diversity. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 55.4, alongside a 98.3 gender-diversity score.
Troy University earned the #5 place in Alabama. Troy University scores 72.2 out of 100 for overall diversity. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 58.6, and gender diversity 95.3.
Spring Hill College earned the #6 position in Alabama. Spring Hill College scores 71.6 out of 100 for overall diversity. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 62.5, and gender diversity 99.6.
Auburn University at Montgomery placed #7 among the most diverse colleges in Alabama. Auburn University at Montgomery scores 71.2 out of 100 for overall diversity. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 65.1, alongside a 97.5 gender-diversity score.
University of Alabama at Birmingham placed #8 among the most diverse colleges in Alabama. On overall diversity, it scores 71.1 out of 100. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 68.0, with a gender-diversity score of 95.6.
Jacksonville State University landed the #9 spot in Alabama this year. Jacksonville State University scores 70.2 out of 100 for overall diversity. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 57.2, and gender diversity 97.7.
Talladega College ranked #10 on our 2026 list of the most diverse colleges. The school's overall diversity score is 69.7 out of 100. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 52.6, and gender diversity 99.5.
University of South Alabama earned the #11 position in Alabama. University of South Alabama scores 69.6 out of 100 for overall diversity. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 55.8, and gender diversity 90.0.
United States Sports University placed #12 among the most diverse colleges in Alabama. United States Sports University scores 69.6 out of 100 for overall diversity. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 63.4, with a gender-diversity score of 84.5.
Heritage Christian University ranked #13 on our 2026 list of the most diverse colleges. The school's overall diversity score is 69.4 out of 100. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 24.7, with a gender-diversity score of 65.2.
University of Montevallo earned the #14 position in Alabama. On overall diversity, it scores 69.2 out of 100. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 59.4, with a gender-diversity score of 95.5.
University of Mobile earned the #15 position in Alabama. It scores 69.0 out of 100 for overall diversity. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 65.6, alongside a 96.5 gender-diversity score.
The University of Alabama ranked #16 on our 2026 list of the most diverse colleges. The University of Alabama scores 67.9 out of 100 for overall diversity. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 50.4, and gender diversity 98.4.
University of Alabama in Huntsville came in at #17 in this year's ranking. On overall diversity, it scores 67.6 out of 100. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 55.9, and gender diversity 97.9.
Chattahoochee Valley Community College ranked #18 on our 2026 list of the most diverse colleges. It scores 67.5 out of 100 for overall diversity. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 54.2, and gender diversity 95.7.
John C Calhoun State Community College came in at #19 in this year's ranking. On overall diversity, it scores 66.6 out of 100. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 53.4, alongside a 99.3 gender-diversity score.
University of West Alabama came in at #20 in this year's ranking. It scores 66.4 out of 100 for overall diversity. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 51.7, alongside a 80.6 gender-diversity score.
Enterprise State Community College ranked #21 on our 2026 list of the most diverse colleges. On overall diversity, it scores 66.2 out of 100. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 52.8, and gender diversity 99.6.
Tuskegee University placed #22 among the most diverse colleges in Alabama. The school's overall diversity score is 66.2 out of 100. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 27.5, and gender diversity 93.3.
George C Wallace Community College-Dothan came in at #23 in this year's ranking. George C Wallace Community College-Dothan scores 65.9 out of 100 for overall diversity. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 51.7, alongside a 90.9 gender-diversity score.
Alabama A & M University placed #24 among the most diverse colleges in Alabama. On overall diversity, it scores 65.8 out of 100. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 30.1, alongside a 97.7 gender-diversity score.
Shelton State Community College earned the #25 position in Alabama. The school's overall diversity score is 65.7 out of 100. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 48.2, and gender diversity 96.8.
These colleges rounded out the top of the list:
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
Our ranking weighs 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.
The ranking above is published by College Factual, 2026 edition.
References
See our data sources and methodologies.