Top 10 most diverse colleges in the United States

Bike riders and vehicles go down Palm Drive towards the Stanford University campus in Palo Alto, Calif. Stanford’s Memorial Chapel can be seen at rear. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)

Diversity is an important element to consider when choosing a university.

The greater the diversity at a college, the more opportunity you have to meet people from different backgrounds and learn new things. Many students seek out universities with high diversity in order to broaden their perspectives on various issues, as well as to find acceptance themselves.

Here are the top 10 most diverse universities in the United States as ranked by College Factual. These rankings take three measures of diversity into account: ethnic background, male to female ratio and geographic location (including international students).

1. Hawaii Pacific University: Honolulu, HI

Warm tropical climate, gorgeous beaches, a thriving tourism industry… who wouldn’t want to go to college in Hawaii? Apparently a lot of students agree, making HPU the most diverse college in the U.S. with 47% of the university population coming from out of state and 7% from out of the country. In addition, ethnic diversity is varied with a high mix of students from different backgrounds, and the male to female ratio is nearly even.

2. Chaminade University of Honolulu: Honolulu, HI

Hawaii is clearly a popular choice for students all across the country. Almost half of the students at Chaminade University come from outside Hawaii. The school also has an excellent representation of various ethnic groups on campus. Chaminade University was founded in the Roman Catholic tradition, and has a unique philosophy that focuses on improving the lives of its students as a whole, focusing on faith, family and community as well as education.

3. Stanford University: Stanford, CA

Stanford University is a highly selective college whose graduates tend to go on to high-paying careers in the tech, engineering and business spheres. This prestigious school is considered to be the #2 best quality school in California. In addition to being extremely ethnically diverse, the male to female ratio is nearly even and more than half of the student population comes from outside of the state.

4. University of Hawaii at Manoa: Honolulu, HI

Yet another university located in Hawaii makes our list of the most diverse colleges in the United States. The University of Hawaii at Mandalay is a public university that is reasonably priced and offers a good value for the money. The university is very diverse, with the largest ethnic group represented being Asian. There is also a fairly equal mix of male and female students and about 30% of the student body comes from outside the state.

5. Pomona College: Claremont, CA

Pomona College is a small private liberal arts school that is highly selective and considered a good value for the money due to its high educational standards and reasonable tuition. The student body at this school is also very diverse. Almost 70% of the population comes from outside the state, and ethnic minorities are well represented.

6. Alaska Pacific University: Anchorage, AK

Alaska may not be the first place that comes to mind when you think of diversity, but Alaska Pacific University has done a great job of attracting students from all over the country. A small, private liberal arts school APU has a unique educational philosophy encouraging students to become active learners. APU offers degrees up to the PhD level, and also has some special programs for adult learners. Over half of the university’s student body is made up of students from outside of the state with various ethnic backgrounds well represented, especially native Alaskans.

Harvard Yard in Cambridge (file photo)

7. Harvard University: Cambridge, MA

Harvard University is considered by College Factual to be top ranked colleges in the U.S. It should then be no surprise that students from all over the country and the world desire to be part of this prestigious institution. Harvard’s male to female ratio is nearly even, and over 80% of the student body is from outside Massachusetts. Various different ethnicities are represented, and about 10% of the students are international.

8. Columbia University in the City of New York: New York, NY

Columbia University is a prestigious college that is also able to attract students from all over the country. About 80% of its student body comes from outside the state of New York. It has high ethnic diversity and a fairly even split between men and women. Columbia ranks well in College Factual’s quality rankings, and is considered to be one of the top schools in the country. too – it’s considered the 20^th best university in the country.

Students walk outside the Collis building on the campus of Dartmouth College (Cheryl Senter)

9. Yale University: New Haven, CT

Another famous Ivy League University, Yale is well-represented by students from all over the country. More than 90% of its population is made up of students from outside of Connecticut, with 15% of its students coming from outside the United States. Yale also has high ethnic diversity and a near-even split between men and women. According to College Factual’s quality rankings, Yale is the #2 school in the U.S.

10. Dartmouth College: Hanover, NH

Dartmouth College is another well-known university due to its high selectivity and educational standards. About 95% of Dartmouth’s students come from outside New Hampshire, and about 8% come from outside of the country. In addition, the school is considered to have high ethnic diversity as well as being one of the best schools in the country.