The 25 Most Diverse Schools

With eight percent of its students Asian, five percent African-American, six percent Hispanic and 11 percent hailing from 50 countries outside of the U.S., Grinnell College--located in a town of the same name in Iowa--is far more diverse than its home state: Iowa is 94 percent white, according to U.S. Census information. That helps place Grinnell College 19th on NEWSWEEK's list of most diverse schools in the country. Its 1,500-strong student body, 8:1 student-to-faculty ratio and academically stringent curricula, meanwhile, put the school among the 25 best small colleges in the country and No. 14 on the most desirable small schools list.

Founded in 1846, the liberal arts college is no stranger to "best of" roundups, having gained praise from U.S. News & World Report and the Princeton Review in addition to being named the "Best All-Around" college by NEWSWEEK in 2004.

The school accepts 43 percent of its applicants and, on average, students earned a 32 on the ACTs and 1450 on the SATs.

To rank colleges and universities by diversity, we took a broad view of related issues, including ethnicity, geographic origin, economic status, gender, and sexual orientation. Read more about our methodology here.