These Colleges Have the Least Diverse Student Bodies

North Dakota State University is a large public school based in Fargo. The university is one of the least diverse colleges or universities in the country, with a nearly 90% white student body. The odds that two students chosen at random are of a different race, ethnicity, or U.S. citizenship status are only about one in four.

The state of North Dakota’s racial composition may largely explain the school’s relative lack of diversity. The cost of attendance for students from the state attending NDSU is roughly two-thirds of what students from other states pay — and 85% of North Dakota residents identify as white. The school appears to be striving for greater diversity, however, offering qualifying racial and ethnic groups a tuition waiver.

University of Wisconsin-Stout is one of several predominantly white schools in the Midwest to rank on this list. Among undergraduate student survey respondents who are U.S. citizens, 88.1% identified as white, well above the comparable national share of 50.8% of American undergraduates. The school’s lack of diversity is likely closely tied to the demographics of Wisconsin as a whole. More than 80% of the state population identifies as white, well above the 61.1% share of Americans. And like other public schools on this list, UW-Stout offers a generous discount to in-state residents. Wisconsin residents pay about 33% less in tuition and fees than students from outside the state.

UW-Stout offers a Multicultural Student Scholarship for qualifying minority groups, at $2,500 a year — about 15% of the the total cost for in state students and 10% of the cost for students not from Wisconsin.

South Dakota State University is one of several public schools in the Midwest to rank on this list. Nearly 90% of the undergraduate student body who are U.S. citizens identify as white, and the probability that two students chosen at random would be of a different race, ethnicity, or citizenship status is just 25%. Among all U.S. undergraduates, the likelihood is nearly 70%.

Like many of the least diverse schools in the country, South Dakota State is not especially selective. In the 2018-2019 school year, SD State sent offer letters to 92.4% of those who applied.

Fairmont State, a public university in West Virginia, is one of only 22 four-year colleges and universities nationwide where the likelihood that two students chosen at random would be of a different race, ethnicity, or citizenship status is less than 25%. In-state tuition is less than half the tuition for students from out of state, which makes students at the school far more likely to be from West Virginia than anywhere else — and 92.1% of West Virginia’s population identifies as white.

Though it ranks as one of the least diverse four-year schools in the country, Fairmont State is more diverse than West Virginia as a whole. Across the state, the odds that two residents would be of a different race or ethnicity are just 15.0%.

Cedarville University is a private school in Cedarville, Ohio. About 89% of U.S. citizens enrolled in the school identify as white, making it one of the least diverse four-year colleges and universities in the country. Though the student body is not especially diverse, the school expresses its commitment to making the campus a place for people of all backgrounds, stating on its website: “we recognize that the issue of diversity is challenging, and we are working hard to create a campus atmosphere where minority students feel welcome.”

University of Wisconsin-River Falls is a four-year public university. About 89% of American undergraduate students enrolled in the school identify as white alone, and the odds that two students chosen at random would be of a different race, ethnicity, or U.S. citizenship status are only 23.4%, well below the national figure of 69.6%.

While the on-campus educational experience at UWRF may not be especially diverse, some enrolled students still have the opportunity to be immersed in different cultures. Each year, over 350 students at the school choose to study abroad, enrolling in programs in countries all over the word, including China, Greece, Italy, Mexico, Poland, South Africa, and Spain.

University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire is one of five schools in the University of Wisconsin system to rank on this list. Wisconsin’s population is much whiter than the nation as a whole — 81.5% versus 61.1%.

The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire appears to be taking steps to becoming a more attractive place for students from diverse backgrounds. In 2017, the school established a vice chancellor to implement its plan of equity, diversity, and inclusion, which aims at creating an open campus free of racism, sexism, homophobia, and xenophobia.

Central Methodist University-College of Graduate and Extended Studies, which is affiliated with the United Methodist church, is a private school. Though it is based in Fayette, Missouri, the school also offers classes online as well as at several sites across the state.

About 88% of CMU CGES students who are U.S. citizens identify as white. Due largely to its considerable white student body, the likelihood that two students chosen at random would be of a different racial, ethnic, or U.S. citizenship status is just 23.3%.

There is a just a 22.4% chance that two randomly chosen students would have a different racial orethnic background, or a different U.S. citizenship status, at Michigan Technological University. About nine out of every 10 American undergraduate students on campus identify as white, a far larger than typical share.

Though the school itself, which started out as a mining school in 1885, does not have an especially diverse student body, it does celebrate diversity. Every September, the school hosts a Parade of Nations event — the oldest and largest multicultural event in the region — to celebrate the 50 countries represented by those living in the broader community.

Like the other University of Wisconsin schools on this list, UW Platteville has a predominantly white student body — with about 90% of undergraduates who are American citizens identifying as white. Partially as a result, there is a just a 22.2% probability that two randomly chosen students would have a different racial or ethnic background.

Wisconsin’s population is far whiter than the nation as a whole — 81.5% versus 61.1% — and as a state school, UW Platteville offers steep discounts to students from the state. Annual tuition and fees for in-state students is just under $8,000. Meanwhile, American students from most other states pay nearly $16,000, and international students pay over $17,000.

Washington D.C.-based Howard University is one of several historically black colleges and universities to rank on this list. Founded in 1867, the school has produced many prominent black professionals across multiple fields, including the first African American to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court. It is also committed “to the study of disadvantaged persons in American society and throughout the world.”

Over 94% of American undergraduates at Howard University identify as black. Additionally, the odds that two students chosen at random would have a different ethnic or racial background or differ in U.S. citizenship status are only 21.4%.

Morehead State University is a public school located in Rowan County, Kentucky. About nine in every 10 American students at the school identify as white. With such a large white population, there is just a 21.3% chance that two Morehead State students chosen at random would be of two different racial, ethnic, or national backgrounds, a much lower chance than in the vast majority of higher education institutions in the United States.

Founded in 1988, Clark Atlanta University is a relatively new school. The school has a predominantly black student body. It was formed when Atlanta University, the first institution to grant degrees to African Americans, and Clark College, the first mostly black four-year liberal arts school in the United States, merged into a single entity. It is one of several historically black colleges and universities to rank on this list.

The likelihood that two students chosen at random would be of a different racial or ethnic background, or a different U.S. citizenship status, is just 21%.

Of the five University of Wisconsin schools on this list, UW La Crosse is the least diverse. About nine in every 10 American undergraduate students at the school identify as white. There is only a 19.9% chance that two students chosen at random would identify as a different race or ethnicity, or differ in U.S. citizenship status.

Though the school is not especially diverse, UW La Crosse’s stated long-term vision includes encouraging a more multicultural student body. The school has an explicit goal “to commit human and financial resources that support an inclusive campus that attracts and retains diverse students, faculty and staff.”

Grambling State University is one of two historically black schools in Louisiana to rank on this list. Founded in 1901, the school was originally called the Colored Industrial and Agricultural School and was later renamed the Louisiana Negro Normal and Industrial Institute before changing its name to Grambling in 1946.

Today, nearly 95% of American students at the school identify as black. The chances that two students chosen at random fall into a different category of race, ethnicity, or U.S. citizenship are only 18.5%.

The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley is one of only two schools on this list where the majority of American citizen undergraduate students identify as Hispanic. Located in Edinburg, Texas, the school is less than 30 miles from the U.S.-Mexico border. By far the newest school on this list, UTRGV was created in 2013 by the Texas legislature.

More than 90% of students who are U.S. citizens are Hispanic.

Alabama A&M University is one of several historically black colleges and universities on this list. Among undergraduates who are U.S. citizens, 91.7% identify as black, well above the comparable national share of 12.7% among American undergraduates.

Alabama has one of the largest black populations of any state as more than one in every four residents identify as black. In addition to the school’s status as a historically black institution, also explaining the large black population at Alabama A&M is that in-state residents pay about half as much in tuition as those from out of state.

Founded in 1871, Alcorn State University is the oldest public, historically black land grant university in the United States and the second oldest state-supported higher education institution in Mississippi. Today, 95.8% of American students enrolled at Alcorn State identify as black.

Despite being one of the least racially or ethnically diverse schools in the country, Alcorn State recognizes the importance of a diverse student body. The school maintains that “diversity of thought, identity, and life experience offer tremendous resources, and the spirit of multiculturalism must be infused throughout our institution to ensure the richest possible living, learning, and working environment.”

What is now known as Jackson State University was founded in 1877. A historically black university, Jackson State’s undergraduate student body with U.S. citizenship is 93.5% black.

Jackson State is located in Jackson, Mississippi’s state capital. Jackson has one of the largest concentrations of black residents of any U.S. city. Of the nearly quarter million people who live in Hinds County, which covers parts of Jackson and Jackson State University, about 72% identify as black, well above the 12.3% share of Americans nationwide.

Southern University and A&M College is the least diverse primarily bachelor’s degree-granting college or university with at least 2,500 undergraduates in Louisiana and the fifth least diverse in the United States. The odds that two random undergraduate students at the historically black university fall into a different racial or ethnic category, or differ in U.S. citizenship status, are just 14.6%. The odds that two random undergraduate students nationwide are of different backgrounds are 69.6%.

Of undergraduates enrolled at Southern University and A&M College, roughly 93% identify as black.

Yeshiva University is a New York City-based school that describes itself as a Jewish institution for higher education. Nearly 99% of undergraduate students who are U.S. citizens identify as white, well above the comparable 50.8% share of American undergraduates nationwide. Due largely to its considerable white student body, the likelihood that two students chosen at random would be of a different nationality or racial or ethnic background, or differ in U.S. citizenship status, is just 12.9%.

Alabama State University is one of several public, historically black southern schools to rank on this list. The probability that two students chosen at random would be of a different nationality or racial or ethnic background is just 12.9%. Based on that metric, it is the least diverse school with at least 2,500 undergraduates in Alabama and fourth least diverse in the United States.

The school traces its roots back to 1867 in the wake of the Civil War. At the time, black Southerners had recently gained the right to an education, and through the combined effort of white missionaries from Northern states and African American church leaders, educational institutions were formed for freedmen, including what would later become Alabama State University.

Texas A&M International University is located in Laredo, Texas, a city that sits along the U.S.-Mexico border. It is one of two Texas schools on this list with a predominantly Hispanic undergraduate population. Of the U.S. citizens enrolled in an undergraduate program with the school, 96.4% identify as Hispanic, well above the comparable 21.0% share among undergraduates nationwide.

The school traces its roots back to 1970, and it became known as Texas A&M International University in 1993. Due in large part to its geographic location, the school describes itself as “the cultural and intellectual hub of a vibrant multilingual and multicultural community.”

Hampton University is a small, private liberal arts school located in Hampton, Virginia. With over 95% of undergraduates with U.S. citizenship identifying as black, Hampton University is one of the least diverse schools in the country. A historically black school, Hampton University traces its roots back to the Civil War when it was an area in which escaped slaves were educated. The school’s notable alumni include several African American lawmakers and politicians, as well as Booker T. Washington, founder of what is now Tuskegee University.

Beth Medrash Govoha ranks as the least diverse primarily bachelor’s school in the United States. The odds that two students chosen at random would have a different ethnic or racial background or differ in U.S. citizenship status are only 6.1%. This is due primarily to the school’s predominantly white student body. Some 99.9% of students at the school who are U.S. citizens identify as white. One of several schools on this list with a religious affiliation, Beth Medrash Govah is an elite, all male school for Jewish religious study.