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Culinary Institute Inc earned the #1 spot in this year's Most Diverse Colleges ranking in Southwest. Culinary Institute Inc scores 84.4 out of 100 for overall diversity. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 59.9, and gender diversity 99.0.
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 468 colleges by overall diversity in Southwest, using our 2026 methodology.
Our ranking weighs several factors of the student body: racial/ethnic makeup, geographic origin, gender balance, and age range. So you can compare your options, College Factual analyzed 468 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? Check out College Combat to build custom comparisons using the factors most important to you.
Learn more about these diverse colleges below:
Culinary Institute Inc earned the #1 spot in this year's Most Diverse Colleges ranking in Southwest. Culinary Institute Inc scores 84.4 out of 100 for overall diversity. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 59.9, and gender diversity 99.0.
You'll find a welcoming community at Oral Roberts University, which ranked #2 this year. It scores 82.2 out of 100 for overall diversity. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 82.3, with a gender-diversity score of 99.0.
Arizona State University Digital Immersion came in at #3 on this year's Most Diverse Colleges ranking in Southwest. Arizona State University Digital Immersion scores 81.6 out of 100 for overall diversity. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 68.0, alongside a 94.8 gender-diversity score.
A rank of #4 makes American InterContinental University-Houston one of the most diverse colleges in Southwest. On overall diversity, it scores 81.5 out of 100. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 54.8, and gender diversity 99.7.
University of Phoenix-Arizona earned the #5 place in Southwest. On overall diversity, it scores 80.1 out of 100. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 70.7, with a gender-diversity score of 88.0.
American InterContinental University System ranked #6 on our 2026 list of the most diverse colleges. American InterContinental University System scores 80.0 out of 100 for overall diversity. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 69.7, alongside a 97.7 gender-diversity score.
Grand Canyon University came in at #7 in this year's ranking. It scores 79.3 out of 100 for overall diversity. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 68.2, with a gender-diversity score of 83.9.
The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston ranked #8 on our 2026 list of the most diverse colleges. The school's overall diversity score is 79.2 out of 100. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 73.8, and gender diversity 87.4.
Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center-El Paso came in at #9 in this year's ranking. The school's overall diversity score is 78.3 out of 100. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 61.9, alongside a 94.2 gender-diversity score.
The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio earned the #10 position in Southwest. The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio scores 78.3 out of 100 for overall diversity. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 66.6, and gender diversity 93.4.
Sessions College for Professional Design came in at #11 in this year's ranking. It scores 78.3 out of 100 for overall diversity. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 62.0, with a gender-diversity score of 92.9.
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center landed the #12 spot in Southwest this year. It scores 77.2 out of 100 for overall diversity. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 71.5, alongside a 75.6 gender-diversity score.
Chamberlain University-Arizona came in at #13 in this year's ranking. It scores 76.8 out of 100 for overall diversity. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 66.5, with a gender-diversity score of 66.1.
University of Oklahoma-Health Sciences Center placed #14 among the most diverse colleges in Southwest. On overall diversity, it scores 76.6 out of 100. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 65.1, alongside a 84.0 gender-diversity score.
Arizona Christian University came in at #15 in this year's ranking. The school's overall diversity score is 76.6 out of 100. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 69.1, and gender diversity 98.6.
West Coast University-Texas placed #16 among the most diverse colleges in Southwest. It scores 76.2 out of 100 for overall diversity. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 69.8, alongside a 58.8 gender-diversity score.
Central Texas College ranked #17 on our 2026 list of the most diverse colleges. On overall diversity, it scores 76.2 out of 100. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 70.9, alongside a 99.6 gender-diversity score.
Southern Nazarene University placed #18 among the most diverse colleges in Southwest. The school's overall diversity score is 75.9 out of 100. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 67.1, with a gender-diversity score of 98.5.
East Valley Institute of Technology placed #19 among the most diverse colleges in Southwest. The school's overall diversity score is 75.9 out of 100. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 57.6, and gender diversity 99.9.
Wayland Baptist University landed the #20 spot in Southwest this year. On overall diversity, it scores 75.6 out of 100. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 79.7, alongside a 99.8 gender-diversity score.
Oklahoma Wesleyan University earned the #21 position in Southwest. Oklahoma Wesleyan University scores 75.3 out of 100 for overall diversity. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 69.5, with a gender-diversity score of 100.0.
Oklahoma Panhandle State University landed the #22 spot in Southwest this year. Oklahoma Panhandle State University scores 75.2 out of 100 for overall diversity. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 64.4, and gender diversity 96.8.
University of Arizona earned the #23 position in Southwest. On overall diversity, it scores 75.1 out of 100. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 73.6, with a gender-diversity score of 99.4.
Oklahoma Christian University earned the #24 position in Southwest. On overall diversity, it scores 75.1 out of 100. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 67.2, with a gender-diversity score of 99.1.
University of Tulsa came in at #25 in this year's ranking. It scores 75.0 out of 100 for overall diversity. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 75.9, and gender diversity 100.0.
These colleges rounded out the top of the list:
Click any college name below to learn more:
| Rank | College | Overall Diversity Score |
|---|---|---|
| 51 | Texas A&M University-Texarkana | 71.7 |
| 52 | Northwestern Oklahoma State University | 71.7 |
| 53 | East Central University | 71.6 |
| 54 | University of North Texas | 71.4 |
| 55 | Western Oklahoma State College | 71.4 |
| 56 | Bryan University | 71.4 |
| 57 | University of Houston | 71.3 |
| 58 | Tulsa Community College | 71.3 |
| 59 | Midwestern State University | 71.3 |
| 60 | Houston Community College | 71.1 |
| 61 | Oklahoma City University | 71.0 |
| 62 | University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus | 70.9 |
| 63 | University of St Thomas | 70.9 |
| 64 | New Mexico State University-Alamogordo | 70.8 |
| 65 | Nelson University | 70.8 |
| Rank | College | Overall Diversity Score |
|---|---|---|
| 66 | The University of Texas Permian Basin | 70.8 |
| 67 | Cochise County Community College District | 70.5 |
| 68 | Rose State College | 70.1 |
| 69 | Pima Community College | 70.1 |
| 70 | Rogers State University | 70.1 |
| 71 | New Mexico State University-Main Campus | 70.0 |
These colleges narrowly missed the top tiers:
| Rank | College | Overall Diversity Score |
|---|---|---|
| 72 | Texas A&M University-Central Texas | 70.0 |
| 73 | West Texas A & M University | 70.0 |
| 74 | University of the Incarnate Word | 69.8 |
| 75 | Western Texas College | 69.7 |
| 76 | Southern Methodist University | 69.6 |
| 77 | Southeastern Oklahoma State University | 69.6 |
| 78 | Ottawa University-Surprise | 69.6 |
| 79 | Oklahoma City Community College | 69.4 |
| 80 | Oklahoma State University Institute of Technology | 69.3 |
| 81 | Arizona Culinary Institute | 69.2 |
| 82 | Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts-Austin | 69.2 |
| 83 | Jacksonville College-Main Campus | 69.0 |
| 84 | Oklahoma State University-Main Campus | 69.0 |
| 85 | Northern Arizona University | 69.0 |
| 86 | Clovis Community College | 69.0 |
| Rank | College | Overall Diversity Score |
|---|---|---|
| 87 | South Mountain Community College | 68.9 |
| 88 | New Mexico State University-Grants | 68.8 |
| 89 | The University of Texas at Dallas | 68.8 |
| 90 | Eastern New Mexico University Ruidoso Branch Community College | 68.8 |
| 91 | Southwestern Oklahoma State University | 68.8 |
| 92 | Mesa Community College | 68.7 |
| 93 | LeTourneau University | 68.6 |
| 94 | Parker University | 68.6 |
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
We measure this ranking on 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
Read more about our data sources and methodologies.