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Liberty University tops our 2026 ranking of the most diverse colleges in Virginia. It scores 82.8 out of 100 for overall diversity. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 65.0, alongside a 98.5 gender-diversity score.
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 100 colleges ranked on overall diversity in Virginia, using our 2026 methodology.
Our ranking weighs several factors of the student body: racial/ethnic makeup, geographic origin, gender balance, and age range. To help you decide, College Factual reviewed 100 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? Try our tool College Combat to build custom comparisons using the factors most important to you.
Learn more about these diverse colleges below:
Liberty University tops our 2026 ranking of the most diverse colleges in Virginia. It scores 82.8 out of 100 for overall diversity. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 65.0, alongside a 98.5 gender-diversity score.
You'll find a welcoming community at Regent University, which ranked #2 this year. Regent University scores 80.1 out of 100 for overall diversity. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 68.4, alongside a 94.5 gender-diversity score.
Marymount University came in at #3 on this year's Most Diverse Colleges ranking in Virginia. On overall diversity, it scores 76.2 out of 100. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 78.1, and gender diversity 97.0.
Out of the 100 colleges in Virginia in this year's ranking, Virginia School of Hair Design landed the #4 spot. The school's overall diversity score is 75.5 out of 100. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 29.1, alongside a 99.6 gender-diversity score.
Out of the 100 colleges in Virginia in this year's ranking, Averett University landed the #5 spot. The school's overall diversity score is 74.2 out of 100. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 61.9, alongside a 97.8 gender-diversity score.
American National University earned the #6 position in Virginia. On overall diversity, it scores 74.2 out of 100. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 65.5, and gender diversity 81.9.
ECPI University landed the #7 spot in Virginia this year. It scores 73.9 out of 100 for overall diversity. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 64.8, alongside a 97.3 gender-diversity score.
George Mason University placed #8 among the most diverse colleges in Virginia. The school's overall diversity score is 73.6 out of 100. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 79.4, alongside a 99.9 gender-diversity score.
Chamberlain University-Virginia earned the #9 position in Virginia. On overall diversity, it scores 73.2 out of 100. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 63.9, alongside a 52.3 gender-diversity score.
Virginia Wesleyan University landed the #10 spot in Virginia this year. It scores 73.1 out of 100 for overall diversity. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 73.9, alongside a 98.8 gender-diversity score.
Bluefield University ranked #11 on our 2026 list of the most diverse colleges. Bluefield University scores 71.5 out of 100 for overall diversity. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 55.7, with a gender-diversity score of 99.4.
Randolph College landed the #12 spot in Virginia this year. It scores 71.4 out of 100 for overall diversity. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 66.2, with a gender-diversity score of 96.4.
University of Lynchburg ranked #13 on our 2026 list of the most diverse colleges. It scores 71.3 out of 100 for overall diversity. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 63.2, with a gender-diversity score of 94.2.
Old Dominion University landed the #14 spot in Virginia this year. On overall diversity, it scores 71.0 out of 100. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 68.0, with a gender-diversity score of 98.9.
Southern Virginia University earned the #15 position in Virginia. Southern Virginia University scores 70.6 out of 100 for overall diversity. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 45.3, with a gender-diversity score of 99.9.
Eastern Mennonite University landed the #16 spot in Virginia this year. Eastern Mennonite University scores 70.3 out of 100 for overall diversity. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 55.8, with a gender-diversity score of 90.3.
University of Richmond landed the #17 spot in Virginia this year. University of Richmond scores 70.1 out of 100 for overall diversity. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 61.5, and gender diversity 98.8.
University of Virginia's College at Wise landed the #18 spot in Virginia this year. University of Virginia's College at Wise scores 70.1 out of 100 for overall diversity. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 54.7, alongside a 93.8 gender-diversity score.
Tidewater Community College landed the #19 spot in Virginia this year. On overall diversity, it scores 70.0 out of 100. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 68.1, with a gender-diversity score of 98.2.
Emory & Henry University ranked #20 on our 2026 list of the most diverse colleges. The school's overall diversity score is 69.9 out of 100. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 55.0, and gender diversity 97.8.
J Sargeant Reynolds Community College came in at #21 in this year's ranking. It scores 69.8 out of 100 for overall diversity. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 68.2, and gender diversity 97.6.
Northern Virginia Community College placed #22 among the most diverse colleges in Virginia. It scores 69.7 out of 100 for overall diversity. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 78.5, alongside a 99.9 gender-diversity score.
Shenandoah University earned the #23 position in Virginia. It scores 69.6 out of 100 for overall diversity. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 64.9, alongside a 87.5 gender-diversity score.
Virginia Peninsula Community College landed the #24 spot in Virginia this year. It scores 69.0 out of 100 for overall diversity. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 68.4, and gender diversity 98.8.
Mary Baldwin University ranked #25 on our 2026 list of the most diverse colleges. It scores 68.6 out of 100 for overall diversity. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 62.6, alongside a 76.9 gender-diversity score.
These colleges rounded out the top of the list:
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
Our ranking weighs 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
Read more about our data sources and methodologies.