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Leading the list is Carolina College of Biblical Studies, our #1 most diverse college in North Carolina. On overall diversity, it scores 85.4 out of 100. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 62.6, and gender diversity 99.0.
by our College Data Analytics Team
If you’re seeking a diverse and multi-faceted college experience, you’ve come to the right place. We have ranked 137 institutions ranked on overall diversity in North Carolina, using our 2026 methodology.
This ranking is based on several factors of the student body: racial/ethnic makeup, geographic origin, gender balance, and age range. To arm you with the information you need, College Factual reviewed 137 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.
Ready to build your own comparison? Check out 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 Carolina College of Biblical Studies, our #1 most diverse college in North Carolina. On overall diversity, it scores 85.4 out of 100. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 62.6, and gender diversity 99.0.
St. Andrews University came in at #2 on this year's Most Diverse Colleges ranking in North Carolina. It scores 80.2 out of 100 for overall diversity. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 74.0, with a gender-diversity score of 99.8.
Carolina University earned the #3 place in North Carolina. On overall diversity, it scores 77.9 out of 100. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 77.3, and gender diversity 96.5.
Methodist University earned the #4 place in North Carolina. Methodist University scores 75.9 out of 100 for overall diversity. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 72.3, and gender diversity 100.0.
Out of the 137 colleges in North Carolina in this year's ranking, Watts College of Nursing landed the #5 spot. The school's overall diversity score is 75.8 out of 100. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 61.6, with a gender-diversity score of 73.7.
Wingate University earned the #6 position in North Carolina. On overall diversity, it scores 75.7 out of 100. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 70.9, alongside a 96.5 gender-diversity score.
North Carolina Wesleyan University placed #7 among the most diverse colleges in North Carolina. North Carolina Wesleyan University scores 74.6 out of 100 for overall diversity. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 71.2, alongside a 99.1 gender-diversity score.
Duke University placed #8 among the most diverse colleges in North Carolina. The school's overall diversity score is 74.2 out of 100. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 76.1, with a gender-diversity score of 98.9.
Belmont Abbey College earned the #9 position in North Carolina. On overall diversity, it scores 73.9 out of 100. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 60.9, with a gender-diversity score of 99.9.
Greensboro College landed the #10 spot in North Carolina this year. On overall diversity, it scores 73.8 out of 100. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 68.8, with a gender-diversity score of 99.9.
University of North Carolina at Pembroke came in at #11 in this year's ranking. The school's overall diversity score is 73.7 out of 100. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 72.3, alongside a 92.2 gender-diversity score.
Montreat College earned the #12 position in North Carolina. It scores 73.7 out of 100 for overall diversity. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 56.6, with a gender-diversity score of 100.0.
Gardner-Webb University placed #13 among the most diverse colleges in North Carolina. Gardner-Webb University scores 73.4 out of 100 for overall diversity. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 59.8, with a gender-diversity score of 91.8.
Catawba College earned the #14 position in North Carolina. It scores 73.2 out of 100 for overall diversity. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 67.9, alongside a 99.9 gender-diversity score.
Guilford College landed the #15 spot in North Carolina this year. Guilford College scores 72.6 out of 100 for overall diversity. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 67.8, and gender diversity 100.0.
Shaw University ranked #16 on our 2026 list of the most diverse colleges. Shaw University scores 71.6 out of 100 for overall diversity. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 53.3, alongside a 99.8 gender-diversity score.
Fayetteville Technical Community College earned the #17 position in North Carolina. The school's overall diversity score is 71.5 out of 100. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 69.1, with a gender-diversity score of 96.5.
Campbell University placed #18 among the most diverse colleges in North Carolina. On overall diversity, it scores 71.5 out of 100. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 60.4, alongside a 99.1 gender-diversity score.
Fayetteville State University landed the #19 spot in North Carolina this year. Fayetteville State University scores 71.5 out of 100 for overall diversity. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 58.0, with a gender-diversity score of 90.3.
Central Piedmont Community College came in at #20 in this year's ranking. It scores 71.5 out of 100 for overall diversity. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 71.8, alongside a 97.7 gender-diversity score.
Cape Fear Community College landed the #21 spot in North Carolina this year. On overall diversity, it scores 71.2 out of 100. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 50.6, and gender diversity 100.0.
Queens University of Charlotte earned the #22 position in North Carolina. The school's overall diversity score is 71.2 out of 100. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 65.7, alongside a 93.1 gender-diversity score.
Chowan University placed #23 among the most diverse colleges in North Carolina. Chowan University scores 70.7 out of 100 for overall diversity. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 60.5, and gender diversity 97.3.
Elizabeth City State University ranked #24 on our 2026 list of the most diverse colleges. It scores 70.6 out of 100 for overall diversity. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 53.0, with a gender-diversity score of 99.5.
Johnson & Wales University-Charlotte came in at #25 in this year's ranking. The school's overall diversity score is 70.5 out of 100. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 63.0, with a gender-diversity score of 94.8.
These colleges also placed near the top this year:
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
This ranking is based on several factors of the student body: racial/ethnic makeup, geographic representation, gender balance, and age range. 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.