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Leading the list is Blue Ridge Community and Technical College, our #1 most age-diverse college in West Virginia. On age diversity, it scores 92.7 out of 100. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 38.2, with a gender-diversity score of 97.9.
by our College Data Analytics TeamIf you’re seeking a diverse and multi-faceted college experience, you’ve come to the right place. We have ranked 19 institutions that stand out for their student bodies in West Virginia, using our 2026 methodology.
This ranking is based on the range of student ages (the mix of traditional and non-traditional-age students). So you can compare your options, College Factual analyzed 19 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. Narrow your list 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? Try our tool College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter most to you.
Here are the top-ranked colleges:
Leading the list is Blue Ridge Community and Technical College, our #1 most age-diverse college in West Virginia. On age diversity, it scores 92.7 out of 100. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 38.2, with a gender-diversity score of 97.9.
A rank of #2 makes University of Charleston one of the most age-diverse colleges in West Virginia. The school's age diversity score is 87.2 out of 100. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 65.1, alongside a 94.9 gender-diversity score.
Out of the 19 colleges in West Virginia in this year's ranking, Catholic International University landed the #3 spot. It scores 82.9 out of 100 for age diversity. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 53.9, and gender diversity 99.4.
Out of the 19 colleges in West Virginia in this year's ranking, Shepherd University landed the #4 spot. On age diversity, it scores 81.6 out of 100. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 50.9, and gender diversity 94.9.
A rank of #5 makes West Virginia Northern Community College one of the most age-diverse colleges in West Virginia. The school's age diversity score is 81.2 out of 100. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 21.0, with a gender-diversity score of 94.8.
Huntington School of Beauty Culture placed #6 among the most age-diverse colleges in West Virginia. Huntington School of Beauty Culture scores 81.0 out of 100 for age diversity. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 35.7, alongside a 30.5 gender-diversity score.
Marshall University came in at #7 in this year's ranking. On age diversity, it scores 80.2 out of 100. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 43.5, with a gender-diversity score of 97.4.
West Virginia University at Parkersburg placed #8 among the most age-diverse colleges in West Virginia. West Virginia University at Parkersburg scores 80.0 out of 100 for age diversity. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 17.8, alongside a 96.3 gender-diversity score.
Eastern West Virginia Community and Technical College earned the #9 position in West Virginia. It scores 76.3 out of 100 for age diversity. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 13.2, with a gender-diversity score of 78.0.
Concord University came in at #10 in this year's ranking. The school's age diversity score is 75.8 out of 100. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 37.0, alongside a 94.8 gender-diversity score.
Glenville State University came in at #11 in this year's ranking. The school's age diversity score is 74.6 out of 100. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 38.6, with a gender-diversity score of 99.9.
Fairmont State University placed #12 among the most age-diverse colleges in West Virginia. It scores 73.5 out of 100 for age diversity. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 26.9, and gender diversity 98.0.
West Virginia University ranked #13 on our 2026 list of the most age-diverse colleges. The school's age diversity score is 70.0 out of 100. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 42.3, and gender diversity 99.8.
Potomac State College of West Virginia University landed the #14 spot in West Virginia this year. On age diversity, it scores 66.2 out of 100. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 32.0, and gender diversity 97.6.
West Virginia State University earned the #15 position in West Virginia. On age diversity, it scores 65.8 out of 100. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 52.1, with a gender-diversity score of 97.5.
West Virginia University Institute of Technology placed #16 among the most age-diverse colleges in West Virginia. On age diversity, it scores 63.5 out of 100. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 36.6, with a gender-diversity score of 100.0.
Davis & Elkins College landed the #17 spot in West Virginia this year. On age diversity, it scores 56.7 out of 100. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 60.0, alongside a 98.0 gender-diversity score.
West Virginia Wesleyan College ranked #18 on our 2026 list of the most age-diverse colleges. On age diversity, it scores 55.1 out of 100. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 56.0, with a gender-diversity score of 100.0.
Bethany College came in at #19 in this year's ranking. On age diversity, it scores 48.6 out of 100. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 67.7, with a gender-diversity score of 97.4.
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
We measure this ranking on the range of student ages (the mix of traditional and non-traditional-age students). 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
More about our data sources and methodologies.