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 colleges that stand out for their student bodies in Iowa, 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 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. Refine the 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? Try our tool College Combat to build custom comparisons using the factors most important to you.
Explore the leading colleges below:
Our analysis found Maharishi International University to be the most diverse college in Iowa. 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.
A rank of #2 makes Graceland University-Lamoni one of the most diverse colleges in Iowa. The school's overall diversity score is 80.6 out of 100. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 69.4, and gender diversity 99.7.
Out of the 57 colleges in Iowa in this year's ranking, William Penn University landed the #3 spot. William Penn University scores 79.0 out of 100 for overall diversity. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 63.1, with a gender-diversity score of 100.0.
A rank of #4 makes Waldorf University one of the most diverse colleges in Iowa. It scores 78.1 out of 100 for overall diversity. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 59.3, and gender diversity 95.9.
You'll find a welcoming community at Upper Iowa University, which ranked #5 this year. The school's overall diversity score is 76.4 out of 100. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 66.7, alongside a 97.5 gender-diversity score.
Clarke University placed #6 among the most diverse colleges in Iowa. The school's overall diversity score is 75.4 out of 100. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 63.9, alongside a 100.0 gender-diversity score.
Briar Cliff University came in at #7 in this year's ranking. It scores 75.1 out of 100 for overall diversity. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 55.6, with a gender-diversity score of 98.2.
Cornell College came in at #8 in this year's ranking. It scores 73.3 out of 100 for overall diversity. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 49.8, with a gender-diversity score of 99.7.
Emmaus Bible College ranked #9 on our 2026 list of the most diverse colleges. The school's overall diversity score is 72.9 out of 100. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 48.0, and gender diversity 99.9.
University of Dubuque landed the #10 spot in Iowa this year. On overall diversity, it scores 72.5 out of 100. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 52.5, alongside a 99.1 gender-diversity score.
Iowa Central Community College ranked #11 on our 2026 list of the most diverse colleges. It scores 72.0 out of 100 for overall diversity. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 62.9, and gender diversity 99.4.
Iowa Western Community College came in at #12 in this year's ranking. The school's overall diversity score is 71.4 out of 100. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 62.5, with a gender-diversity score of 100.0.
Palmer College of Chiropractic placed #13 among the most diverse colleges in Iowa. On overall diversity, it scores 70.6 out of 100. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 43.4, alongside a 99.1 gender-diversity score.
Faith Baptist Bible College and Theological Seminary earned the #14 position in Iowa. Faith Baptist Bible College and Theological Seminary scores 70.5 out of 100 for overall diversity. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 33.2, and gender diversity 99.8.
Grand View University landed the #15 spot in Iowa this year. On overall diversity, it scores 69.9 out of 100. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 63.4, and gender diversity 98.5.
Grinnell College placed #16 among the most diverse colleges in Iowa. It scores 69.5 out of 100 for overall diversity. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 67.5, with a gender-diversity score of 99.6.
Ellsworth Community College ranked #17 on our 2026 list of the most diverse colleges. It scores 69.3 out of 100 for overall diversity. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 50.2, with a gender-diversity score of 99.5.
Morningside University ranked #18 on our 2026 list of the most diverse colleges. It scores 69.1 out of 100 for overall diversity. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 42.9, and gender diversity 90.0.
Coe College ranked #19 on our 2026 list of the most diverse colleges. It scores 68.8 out of 100 for overall diversity. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 59.1, with a gender-diversity score of 100.0.
Western Iowa Tech Community College ranked #20 on our 2026 list of the most diverse colleges. It scores 68.6 out of 100 for overall diversity. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 58.0, and gender diversity 95.8.
Southeastern Community College ranked #21 on our 2026 list of the most diverse colleges. The school's overall diversity score is 67.8 out of 100. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 53.7, with a gender-diversity score of 96.8.
Marshalltown Community College earned the #22 position in Iowa. It scores 67.8 out of 100 for overall diversity. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 59.5, and gender diversity 97.6.
Mount Mercy University came in at #23 in this year's ranking. On overall diversity, it scores 67.1 out of 100. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 60.4, alongside a 94.1 gender-diversity score.
Saint Ambrose University came in at #24 in this year's ranking. The school's overall diversity score is 66.3 out of 100. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 50.9, and gender diversity 97.9.
Northwestern College ranked #25 on our 2026 list of the most diverse colleges. Northwestern College scores 66.2 out of 100 for overall diversity. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 42.6, alongside a 95.0 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.
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.
This list is compiled by College Factual, 2026 edition.
References
Read more about our data sources and methodologies.
