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No school ranked more geographically diverse than Davidson College this year in North Carolina. The school's geographic diversity score is 63.8 out of 100. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 59.5, with a gender-diversity score of 99.6.
by our College Data Analytics Team
If 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 133 schools by geographic diversity in North Carolina, using our 2026 methodology.
We measure this ranking on the geographic origins of the student body (how widely students are drawn from across the country and the world). To help you decide, College Factual reviewed 133 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. Drill down by location, or explore the overall, racial-ethnic, gender, economic, and age diversity rankings, or other rankings below.
Want to compare schools head to head? We built a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter most to you.
Explore the leading colleges below:
No school ranked more geographically diverse than Davidson College this year in North Carolina. The school's geographic diversity score is 63.8 out of 100. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 59.5, with a gender-diversity score of 99.6.
Out of the 133 colleges in North Carolina in this year's ranking, Duke University landed the #2 spot. Duke University scores 63.5 out of 100 for geographic diversity. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 76.1, and gender diversity 98.9.
A rank of #3 makes Wake Forest University one of the most geographically diverse colleges in North Carolina. On geographic diversity, it scores 62.9 out of 100. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 62.0, with a gender-diversity score of 98.6.
Out of the 133 colleges in North Carolina in this year's ranking, Elon University landed the #4 spot. It scores 56.9 out of 100 for geographic diversity. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 44.0, with a gender-diversity score of 97.7.
A rank of #5 makes High Point University one of the most geographically diverse colleges in North Carolina. It scores 56.0 out of 100 for geographic diversity. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 45.0, alongside a 98.6 gender-diversity score.
Warren Wilson College came in at #6 in this year's ranking. It scores 53.2 out of 100 for geographic diversity. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 43.6, alongside a 91.6 gender-diversity score.
Bennett College ranked #7 on our 2026 list of the most geographically diverse colleges. It scores 52.5 out of 100 for geographic diversity. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 59.4, with a gender-diversity score of 0.0.
Belmont Abbey College placed #8 among the most geographically diverse colleges in North Carolina. On geographic diversity, it scores 52.2 out of 100. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 60.9, alongside a 99.9 gender-diversity score.
Livingstone College landed the #9 spot in North Carolina this year. On geographic diversity, it scores 49.5 out of 100. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 24.8, with a gender-diversity score of 98.1.
NASCAR Technical Institute came in at #10 in this year's ranking. It scores 49.3 out of 100 for geographic diversity. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 62.9, and gender diversity 42.2.
St. Andrews University came in at #11 in this year's ranking. St. Andrews University scores 47.2 out of 100 for geographic diversity. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 74.0, and gender diversity 99.8.
University of North Carolina School of the Arts earned the #12 position in North Carolina. The school's geographic diversity score is 46.9 out of 100. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 61.3, alongside a 96.9 gender-diversity score.
Johnson & Wales University-Charlotte came in at #13 in this year's ranking. The school's geographic diversity score is 46.1 out of 100. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 63.0, alongside a 94.8 gender-diversity score.
Lees-McRae College placed #14 among the most geographically diverse colleges in North Carolina. Lees-McRae College scores 45.8 out of 100 for geographic diversity. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 48.1, and gender diversity 91.9.
Queens University of Charlotte came in at #15 in this year's ranking. On geographic diversity, it scores 45.5 out of 100. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 65.7, with a gender-diversity score of 93.1.
Carolina University ranked #16 on our 2026 list of the most geographically diverse colleges. It scores 42.8 out of 100 for geographic diversity. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 77.3, and gender diversity 96.5.
Shaw University placed #17 among the most geographically diverse colleges in North Carolina. On geographic diversity, it scores 41.8 out of 100. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 53.3, and gender diversity 99.8.
Montreat College earned the #18 position in North Carolina. The school's geographic diversity score is 41.1 out of 100. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 56.6, with a gender-diversity score of 100.0.
Johnson C Smith University ranked #19 on our 2026 list of the most geographically diverse colleges. On geographic diversity, it scores 39.9 out of 100. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 32.4, with a gender-diversity score of 100.0.
Mars Hill University placed #20 among the most geographically diverse colleges in North Carolina. Mars Hill University scores 39.1 out of 100 for geographic diversity. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 53.8, alongside a 100.0 gender-diversity score.
Brevard College placed #21 among the most geographically diverse colleges in North Carolina. Brevard College scores 38.7 out of 100 for geographic diversity. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 56.9, and gender diversity 96.0.
North Carolina A & T State University landed the #22 spot in North Carolina this year. The school's geographic diversity score is 38.4 out of 100. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 38.1, with a gender-diversity score of 96.2.
Wingate University placed #23 among the most geographically diverse colleges in North Carolina. On geographic diversity, it scores 36.6 out of 100. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 70.9, and gender diversity 96.5.
Chowan University placed #24 among the most geographically diverse colleges in North Carolina. Chowan University scores 36.1 out of 100 for geographic diversity. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 60.5, and gender diversity 97.3.
Gardner-Webb University earned the #25 position in North Carolina. On geographic diversity, it scores 34.9 out of 100. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 59.8, and gender diversity 91.8.
These colleges also placed near the top this year:
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
Our ranking weighs the geographic origins of the student body (how widely students are drawn from across the country and the world). 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.
These rankings are produced by College Factual, 2026 edition.
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.
