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Our analysis found Ottawa University-Online to be the most diverse college in Plains States. On overall diversity, it scores 88.1 out of 100. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 80.5, with a gender-diversity score of 91.5.
by our College Data Analytics Team
If you’re seeking a diverse and multi-faceted college experience, you’ve come to the right place. We have ranked 361 colleges ranked on overall diversity in Plains States, 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 arm you with the information you need, College Factual reviewed 361 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. Drill down by location, or explore the overall, racial-ethnic, gender, economic, and age diversity rankings, or other rankings below.
Looking to pit your favorite colleges against each other? Check out College Combat to build custom comparisons using the factors most important to you.
Here are the top-ranked colleges:
Our analysis found Ottawa University-Online to be the most diverse college in Plains States. On overall diversity, it scores 88.1 out of 100. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 80.5, with a gender-diversity score of 91.5.
Trinity Bible College and Graduate School earned the #2 place in Plains States. The school's overall diversity score is 84.1 out of 100. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 58.5, with a gender-diversity score of 97.2.
You'll find a welcoming community at Maharishi International University, which ranked #3 this year. Maharishi International University scores 83.8 out of 100 for overall diversity. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 73.4, with a gender-diversity score of 99.4.
Out of the 361 colleges in Plains States in this year's ranking, Northwestern Health Sciences University landed the #4 spot. Northwestern Health Sciences University scores 82.0 out of 100 for overall diversity. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 67.6, alongside a 92.6 gender-diversity score.
Park University earned the #5 place in Plains States. On overall diversity, it scores 81.5 out of 100. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 74.2, and gender diversity 99.4.
Ottawa University-Kansas City came in at #6 in this year's ranking. The school's overall diversity score is 81.3 out of 100. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 61.2, with a gender-diversity score of 88.8.
Barclay College placed #7 among the most diverse colleges in Plains States. Barclay College scores 81.2 out of 100 for overall diversity. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 73.8, alongside a 99.3 gender-diversity score.
Graceland University-Lamoni came in at #8 in this year's ranking. On overall diversity, it scores 80.6 out of 100. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 69.4, with a gender-diversity score of 99.7.
Paul Mitchell the School Wichita landed the #9 spot in Plains States this year. The school's overall diversity score is 80.5 out of 100. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 58.6, with a gender-diversity score of 95.7.
Logan University earned the #10 position in Plains States. Logan University scores 80.4 out of 100 for overall diversity. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 53.5, with a gender-diversity score of 98.8.
Bellevue University earned the #11 position in Plains States. The school's overall diversity score is 79.4 out of 100. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 67.8, alongside a 99.1 gender-diversity score.
Central Christian College of Kansas landed the #12 spot in Plains States this year. The school's overall diversity score is 79.0 out of 100. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 66.4, with a gender-diversity score of 100.0.
William Penn University came in at #13 in this year's ranking. The school's overall diversity score is 79.0 out of 100. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 63.1, and gender diversity 100.0.
Cleveland University-Kansas City placed #14 among the most diverse colleges in Plains States. The school's overall diversity score is 78.8 out of 100. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 58.7, and gender diversity 99.5.
Waldorf University came in at #15 in this year's ranking. The school's overall diversity score is 78.1 out of 100. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 59.3, with a gender-diversity score of 95.9.
University of Saint Mary came in at #16 in this year's ranking. The school's overall diversity score is 76.8 out of 100. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 64.6, and gender diversity 99.5.
Kansas Christian College ranked #17 on our 2026 list of the most diverse colleges. Kansas Christian College scores 76.6 out of 100 for overall diversity. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 76.8, and gender diversity 92.2.
Bethany College earned the #18 position in Plains States. On overall diversity, it scores 76.5 out of 100. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 63.2, and gender diversity 98.4.
Washington University in St Louis landed the #19 spot in Plains States this year. It scores 76.5 out of 100 for overall diversity. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 74.7, with a gender-diversity score of 99.8.
Coffeyville Community College came in at #20 in this year's ranking. On overall diversity, it scores 76.5 out of 100. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 69.5, with a gender-diversity score of 97.4.
North Central University earned the #21 position in Plains States. On overall diversity, it scores 76.5 out of 100. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 62.3, with a gender-diversity score of 100.0.
Upper Iowa University placed #22 among the most diverse colleges in Plains States. It scores 76.4 out of 100 for overall diversity. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 66.7, and gender diversity 97.5.
Union Adventist University placed #23 among the most diverse colleges in Plains States. Union Adventist University scores 76.3 out of 100 for overall diversity. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 66.6, alongside a 94.3 gender-diversity score.
Missouri Valley College placed #24 among the most diverse colleges in Plains States. The school's overall diversity score is 76.2 out of 100. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 71.3, and gender diversity 98.8.
Southwestern College placed #25 among the most diverse colleges in Plains States. On overall diversity, it scores 76.0 out of 100. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 72.5, alongside a 91.6 gender-diversity score.
Not far behind, these colleges also rank among the most diverse this year:
Click any college name below to learn more:
| Rank | College | Overall Diversity Score |
|---|---|---|
| 51 | University of Dubuque | 72.5 |
| 52 | Concordia University-Saint Paul | 72.5 |
| 53 | Capella University | 72.4 |
| 54 | Hannibal-LaGrange University | 72.4 |
| 55 | Missouri Southern State University | 72.3 |
These colleges narrowly missed the top tiers:
| Rank | College | Overall Diversity Score |
|---|---|---|
| 56 | Lincoln University | 72.2 |
| 57 | Dodge City Community College | 72.1 |
| 58 | Crown College | 72.1 |
| 59 | Iowa Central Community College | 72.0 |
| 60 | Mount Marty University | 71.9 |
| 61 | Doane University | 71.8 |
| 62 | Rasmussen University-Minnesota | 71.8 |
| 63 | Wichita Technical Institute | 71.7 |
| 64 | Minneapolis College of Art and Design | 71.7 |
| 65 | University of Mary | 71.5 |
| 66 | Culver-Stockton College | 71.5 |
| 67 | Calvary University | 71.4 |
| 68 | Hesston College | 71.4 |
| 69 | Iowa Western Community College | 71.4 |
| 70 | Evangel University | 71.3 |
| Rank | College | Overall Diversity Score |
|---|---|---|
| 71 | McPherson College | 71.2 |
| 72 | William Jewell College | 71.2 |
| 73 | Garden City Community College | 71.1 |
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
This ranking is based 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
More about our data sources and methodologies.