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Leading the list is Guilford College, our #1 most economically diverse college in North Carolina. On economic diversity, it scores 100.0 out of 100. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 67.8, and gender diversity 100.0.
by our College Data Analytics TeamIf you’re seeking a diverse and multi-faceted college experience, you’ve come to the right place. The ranking below was designed to help you find 156 institutions ranked on economic diversity in North Carolina, using our 2026 methodology.
We measure this ranking on the economic backgrounds of the student body (the mix of income levels). To arm you with the information you need, College Factual evaluated 156 colleges, drawing primarily on U.S. Department of Education data (IPEDS and College Scorecard). Learn more about our ranking methodology.
Not every student measures diversity the same way. 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 to build custom comparisons using the factors most important to you.
Learn more about these economically diverse colleges below:
Leading the list is Guilford College, our #1 most economically diverse college in North Carolina. On economic diversity, it scores 100.0 out of 100. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 67.8, and gender diversity 100.0.
Alexander Paul Institute of Hair Design earned the #2 place in North Carolina. It scores 100.0 out of 100 for economic diversity.
Brunswick Community College came in at #3 on this year's Most Economically Diverse Colleges ranking in North Carolina. It scores 100.0 out of 100 for economic diversity. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 47.6, and gender diversity 94.8.
You'll find a welcoming community at Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute, which ranked #4 this year. On economic diversity, it scores 100.0 out of 100. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 42.2, alongside a 95.3 gender-diversity score.
Carteret Community College earned the #5 place in North Carolina. Carteret Community College scores 100.0 out of 100 for economic diversity. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 42.3, and gender diversity 93.2.
Forsyth Technical Community College landed the #6 spot in North Carolina this year. It scores 100.0 out of 100 for economic diversity. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 67.9, and gender diversity 93.8.
University of Mount Olive came in at #7 in this year's ranking. University of Mount Olive scores 100.0 out of 100 for economic diversity. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 59.5, with a gender-diversity score of 87.8.
University of North Carolina at Greensboro placed #8 among the most economically diverse colleges in North Carolina. University of North Carolina at Greensboro scores 100.0 out of 100 for economic diversity. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 69.8, and gender diversity 91.4.
NASCAR Technical Institute came in at #9 in this year's ranking. The school's economic diversity score is 100.0 out of 100. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 62.9, and gender diversity 42.2.
University of North Carolina at Pembroke landed the #10 spot in North Carolina this year. The school's economic diversity score is 100.0 out of 100. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 72.3, alongside a 92.2 gender-diversity score.
Pfeiffer University earned the #11 position in North Carolina. On economic diversity, it scores 100.0 out of 100. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 55.8, with a gender-diversity score of 98.8.
St. Andrews University earned the #12 position in North Carolina. The school's economic diversity score is 100.0 out of 100. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 74.0, alongside a 99.8 gender-diversity score.
College of Wilmington ranked #13 on our 2026 list of the most economically diverse colleges. College of Wilmington scores 99.9 out of 100 for economic diversity. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 53.5, and gender diversity 35.8.
Aviation Institute of Maintenance - Charlotte came in at #14 in this year's ranking. Aviation Institute of Maintenance - Charlotte scores 99.9 out of 100 for economic diversity. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 60.0, alongside a 50.6 gender-diversity score.
Johnson & Wales University-Charlotte came in at #15 in this year's ranking. Johnson & Wales University-Charlotte scores 99.9 out of 100 for economic diversity. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 63.0, with a gender-diversity score of 94.8.
Rowan-Cabarrus Community College earned the #16 position in North Carolina. It scores 99.9 out of 100 for economic diversity. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 65.0, alongside a 95.7 gender-diversity score.
Carolina Christian College placed #17 among the most economically diverse colleges in North Carolina. On economic diversity, it scores 99.9 out of 100.
Galen Health Institutes-Asheville came in at #18 in this year's ranking. Galen Health Institutes-Asheville scores 99.9 out of 100 for economic diversity. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 56.3, and gender diversity 45.6.
Carolina College of Hair Design placed #19 among the most economically diverse colleges in North Carolina. On economic diversity, it scores 99.9 out of 100.
Carolina College of Biblical Studies earned the #20 position in North Carolina. On economic diversity, it scores 99.7 out of 100. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 62.6, alongside a 99.0 gender-diversity score.
Southeastern Free Will Baptist Bible College placed #21 among the most economically diverse colleges in North Carolina. It scores 99.7 out of 100 for economic diversity.
Stanly Community College came in at #22 in this year's ranking. The school's economic diversity score is 99.7 out of 100. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 54.6, alongside a 87.1 gender-diversity score.
Surry Community College placed #23 among the most economically diverse colleges in North Carolina. The school's economic diversity score is 99.7 out of 100. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 42.8, with a gender-diversity score of 96.7.
Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College ranked #24 on our 2026 list of the most economically diverse colleges. It scores 99.5 out of 100 for economic diversity. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 47.8, alongside a 96.8 gender-diversity score.
Haywood Community College came in at #25 in this year's ranking. Haywood Community College scores 99.5 out of 100 for economic diversity. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 37.1, alongside a 94.2 gender-diversity score.
These colleges rounded out the top of the list:
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
This ranking is based on the economic backgrounds of the student body (the mix of income levels). 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.
The ranking above is published by College Factual, 2026 edition.
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.