College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

2026 Most Economically Diverse Colleges in Virginia

130 Colleges
99.7 Avg Top-25 Economic Diversity Score*

If you’re seeking a diverse and multi-faceted college experience, you’ve come to the right place. This list highlights 130 schools ranked on economic diversity in Virginia, using our 2026 methodology.

This ranking is based on the economic backgrounds of the student body (the mix of income levels). To help you decide, College Factual reviewed 130 colleges, drawing primarily on U.S. Department of Education data (IPEDS and College Scorecard). Learn more about our ranking methodology.

Customizing Your List

Diversity means different things to different students. Refine the list by location, or explore the overall, racial-ethnic, gender, economic, and age diversity rankings, or other rankings below.

Ready to build your own comparison? We built a tool called College Combat to weigh schools on the factors you care about most.

Top 25 Most Economically Diverse Colleges in Virginia

Here are the top-ranked colleges:

1

No school ranked more economically diverse than Virginia Western Community College this year in Virginia. On economic diversity, it scores 100.0 out of 100. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 54.0, alongside a 99.2 gender-diversity score.

2

You'll find a welcoming community at Eastern Virginia Career College, which ranked #2 this year. Eastern Virginia Career College scores 100.0 out of 100 for economic diversity. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 61.6, with a gender-diversity score of 35.9.

3

You'll find a welcoming community at Lotus Professional College, which ranked #3 this year. On economic diversity, it scores 100.0 out of 100. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 59.6, with a gender-diversity score of 30.1.

4

You'll find a welcoming community at South University-Richmond, which ranked #4 this year. South University-Richmond scores 100.0 out of 100 for economic diversity. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 68.6, with a gender-diversity score of 82.5.

5

Bluefield University came in at #5 on this year's Most Economically Diverse Colleges ranking in Virginia. Bluefield University scores 100.0 out of 100 for economic diversity. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 55.7, with a gender-diversity score of 99.4.

6

New River Community College came in at #6 in this year's ranking. New River Community College scores 100.0 out of 100 for economic diversity. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 43.0, alongside a 99.9 gender-diversity score.

7

Galen Health Institutes-Richmond landed the #7 spot in Virginia this year. It scores 100.0 out of 100 for economic diversity. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 62.2, with a gender-diversity score of 28.6.

8

DeVry University-Virginia placed #8 among the most economically diverse colleges in Virginia. The school's economic diversity score is 99.9 out of 100.

9

Standard Healthcare Services-College of Nursing earned the #9 position in Virginia. The school's economic diversity score is 99.9 out of 100. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 31.1, and gender diversity 45.0.

10

Randolph College placed #10 among the most economically diverse colleges in Virginia. The school's economic diversity score is 99.9 out of 100. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 66.2, with a gender-diversity score of 96.4.

11

Rappahannock Community College placed #11 among the most economically diverse colleges in Virginia. Rappahannock Community College scores 99.9 out of 100 for economic diversity. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 55.5, with a gender-diversity score of 95.5.

12

South University-Virginia Beach landed the #12 spot in Virginia this year. South University-Virginia Beach scores 99.7 out of 100 for economic diversity. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 61.5, and gender diversity 67.1.

13

Culpeper Cosmetology Training Center came in at #13 in this year's ranking. Culpeper Cosmetology Training Center scores 99.7 out of 100 for economic diversity.

14

Centra College landed the #14 spot in Virginia this year. The school's economic diversity score is 99.7 out of 100. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 48.2, and gender diversity 45.8.

15

Richard Bland College ranked #15 on our 2026 list of the most economically diverse colleges. On economic diversity, it scores 99.7 out of 100. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 70.8, alongside a 98.5 gender-diversity score.

16

Riverside College of Health Careers placed #16 among the most economically diverse colleges in Virginia. It scores 99.7 out of 100 for economic diversity. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 55.1, with a gender-diversity score of 44.3.

17

Chester Career College came in at #17 in this year's ranking. It scores 99.5 out of 100 for economic diversity. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 35.0, and gender diversity 45.2.

18

Aveda Arts & Sciences Institute Lafayette-Arlington placed #18 among the most economically diverse colleges in Virginia. Aveda Arts & Sciences Institute Lafayette-Arlington scores 99.5 out of 100 for economic diversity. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 68.6, and gender diversity 25.7.

19

Rudy & Kelly Academy - A Paul Mitchell Partner School came in at #19 in this year's ranking. Rudy & Kelly Academy - A Paul Mitchell Partner School scores 99.5 out of 100 for economic diversity. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 48.2, with a gender-diversity score of 24.2.

20

ECPI University placed #20 among the most economically diverse colleges in Virginia. It scores 99.5 out of 100 for economic diversity. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 64.8, and gender diversity 97.3.

21

J Sargeant Reynolds Community College placed #21 among the most economically diverse colleges in Virginia. On economic diversity, it scores 99.5 out of 100. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 68.2, and gender diversity 97.6.

22

Centura College-Norfolk ranked #22 on our 2026 list of the most economically diverse colleges. It scores 99.3 out of 100 for economic diversity. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 46.8, and gender diversity 92.0.

23

The Chrysm Insitute of Esthetics earned the #23 position in Virginia. On economic diversity, it scores 99.3 out of 100. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 63.3, alongside a 6.1 gender-diversity score.

24

Regent University earned the #24 position in Virginia. The school's economic diversity score is 99.3 out of 100. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 68.4, alongside a 94.5 gender-diversity score.

25

Ferrum College landed the #25 spot in Virginia this year. Ferrum College scores 99.3 out of 100 for economic diversity. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 63.6, and gender diversity 98.7.

Rest of the Top 50 Most Economically Diverse Colleges in Virginia

These colleges also placed near the top this year:

26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50

More Rankings >

Notes and References

*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.

Popular Reports

College Rankings
Best by Location
Degree Guides by Major
Graduate Programs

Compare Your School Options