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 106 colleges by overall diversity in Tennessee, using our 2026 methodology.
This ranking is based on several factors of the student body: racial/ethnic makeup, geographic origin, gender balance, and age range. To help you decide, College Factual analyzed 106 colleges, drawing primarily on U.S. Department of Education data (IPEDS and College Scorecard). Learn more about our ranking methodology.
Your ideal mix depends on what matters most to you. Refine the 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? We built a tool called College Combat to build custom comparisons using the factors most important to you.
Explore the leading colleges below:
Southern Adventist University earned the #1 spot in this year's Most Diverse Colleges ranking in Tennessee. Southern Adventist University scores 77.8 out of 100 for overall diversity. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 71.8, alongside a 99.0 gender-diversity score.
A rank of #2 makes Christian Brothers University one of the most diverse colleges in Tennessee. The school's overall diversity score is 77.7 out of 100. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 80.0, with a gender-diversity score of 99.6.
Vanderbilt University came in at #3 on this year's Most Diverse Colleges ranking in Tennessee. Vanderbilt University scores 76.9 out of 100 for overall diversity. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 72.7, with a gender-diversity score of 98.8.
Out of the 106 colleges in Tennessee in this year's ranking, Tusculum University landed the #4 spot. It scores 74.7 out of 100 for overall diversity. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 58.8, and gender diversity 100.0.
King University came in at #5 on this year's Most Diverse Colleges ranking in Tennessee. It scores 73.6 out of 100 for overall diversity. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 44.4, alongside a 94.9 gender-diversity score.
University of Memphis placed #6 among the most diverse colleges in Tennessee. The school's overall diversity score is 73.2 out of 100. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 67.7, alongside a 97.4 gender-diversity score.
Johnson University placed #7 among the most diverse colleges in Tennessee. It scores 72.5 out of 100 for overall diversity. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 48.5, and gender diversity 99.9.
Tennessee State University landed the #8 spot in Tennessee this year. On overall diversity, it scores 71.5 out of 100. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 43.2, with a gender-diversity score of 93.2.
Austin Peay State University placed #9 among the most diverse colleges in Tennessee. On overall diversity, it scores 71.4 out of 100. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 63.7, and gender diversity 97.1.
Union University ranked #10 on our 2026 list of the most diverse colleges. It scores 70.9 out of 100 for overall diversity. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 55.6, alongside a 91.3 gender-diversity score.
Bethel University landed the #11 spot in Tennessee this year. The school's overall diversity score is 70.0 out of 100. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 63.7, with a gender-diversity score of 98.6.
Fisk University ranked #12 on our 2026 list of the most diverse colleges. On overall diversity, it scores 70.0 out of 100. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 31.3, with a gender-diversity score of 92.1.
Carson-Newman University landed the #13 spot in Tennessee this year. Carson-Newman University scores 69.9 out of 100 for overall diversity. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 45.8, and gender diversity 94.8.
Welch College ranked #14 on our 2026 list of the most diverse colleges. The school's overall diversity score is 69.9 out of 100. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 42.0, with a gender-diversity score of 99.8.
Trevecca Nazarene University earned the #15 position in Tennessee. On overall diversity, it scores 69.9 out of 100. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 64.0, with a gender-diversity score of 91.0.
Lee University placed #16 among the most diverse colleges in Tennessee. The school's overall diversity score is 69.7 out of 100. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 47.4, and gender diversity 96.7.
Nashville State Community College landed the #17 spot in Tennessee this year. On overall diversity, it scores 68.5 out of 100. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 63.2, with a gender-diversity score of 94.3.
East Tennessee State University earned the #18 position in Tennessee. East Tennessee State University scores 68.4 out of 100 for overall diversity. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 48.8, with a gender-diversity score of 95.7.
The University of Tennessee Health Science Center placed #19 among the most diverse colleges in Tennessee. The school's overall diversity score is 68.4 out of 100. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 58.1, alongside a 91.2 gender-diversity score.
Lincoln Memorial University came in at #20 in this year's ranking. The school's overall diversity score is 68.2 out of 100. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 47.3, alongside a 90.1 gender-diversity score.
Cumberland University earned the #21 position in Tennessee. On overall diversity, it scores 67.8 out of 100. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 64.5, alongside a 99.8 gender-diversity score.
Middle Tennessee State University placed #22 among the most diverse colleges in Tennessee. Middle Tennessee State University scores 67.7 out of 100 for overall diversity. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 57.0, alongside a 99.5 gender-diversity score.
Tennessee College of Applied Technology - Nashville ranked #23 on our 2026 list of the most diverse colleges. On overall diversity, it scores 67.7 out of 100. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 70.3, and gender diversity 92.0.
Belmont University landed the #24 spot in Tennessee this year. Belmont University scores 67.2 out of 100 for overall diversity. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 44.7, with a gender-diversity score of 92.2.
Tennessee College of Applied Technology - Murfreesboro ranked #25 on our 2026 list of the most diverse colleges. Tennessee College of Applied Technology - Murfreesboro scores 66.9 out of 100 for overall diversity. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 61.9, alongside a 92.1 gender-diversity score.
Not far behind, these colleges also rank among the most diverse this year:
*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.
These rankings are produced by College Factual, 2026 edition.
References
Read more about our data sources and methodologies.
