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Catholic International University tops our 2026 ranking of the most diverse colleges in West Virginia. On overall diversity, it scores 83.3 out of 100. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 53.9, with a gender-diversity score of 99.4.
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 41 colleges that stand out for their student bodies in West 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 arm you with the information you need, College Factual evaluated 41 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.
Looking to pit your favorite colleges against each other? Try our tool College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter most to you.
Learn more about these diverse colleges below:
Catholic International University tops our 2026 ranking of the most diverse colleges in West Virginia. On overall diversity, it scores 83.3 out of 100. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 53.9, with a gender-diversity score of 99.4.
American Public University System came in at #2 on this year's Most Diverse Colleges ranking in West Virginia. On overall diversity, it scores 78.4 out of 100. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 70.6, with a gender-diversity score of 93.5.
University of Charleston came in at #3 on this year's Most Diverse Colleges ranking in West Virginia. The school's overall diversity score is 76.0 out of 100. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 65.1, alongside a 94.9 gender-diversity score.
Wheeling University earned the #4 place in West Virginia. The school's overall diversity score is 75.6 out of 100. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 58.9, with a gender-diversity score of 98.5.
Bethany College came in at #5 on this year's Most Diverse Colleges ranking in West Virginia. The school's overall diversity score is 71.8 out of 100. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 67.7, alongside a 97.4 gender-diversity score.
Davis & Elkins College earned the #6 position in West Virginia. On overall diversity, it scores 71.1 out of 100. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 60.0, with a gender-diversity score of 98.0.
West Virginia State University placed #7 among the most diverse colleges in West Virginia. On overall diversity, it scores 70.0 out of 100. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 52.1, with a gender-diversity score of 97.5.
Salem University landed the #8 spot in West Virginia this year. It scores 69.2 out of 100 for overall diversity. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 59.9, with a gender-diversity score of 96.5.
West Virginia Wesleyan College landed the #9 spot in West Virginia this year. On overall diversity, it scores 68.8 out of 100. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 56.0, alongside a 100.0 gender-diversity score.
Shepherd University landed the #10 spot in West Virginia this year. On overall diversity, it scores 68.2 out of 100. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 50.9, with a gender-diversity score of 94.9.
Marshall University came in at #11 in this year's ranking. The school's overall diversity score is 68.0 out of 100. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 43.5, alongside a 97.4 gender-diversity score.
Concord University ranked #12 on our 2026 list of the most diverse colleges. It scores 67.1 out of 100 for overall diversity. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 37.0, alongside a 94.8 gender-diversity score.
Blue Ridge Community and Technical College landed the #13 spot in West Virginia this year. Blue Ridge Community and Technical College scores 66.9 out of 100 for overall diversity. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 38.2, with a gender-diversity score of 97.9.
Appalachian Bible College earned the #14 position in West Virginia. It scores 66.8 out of 100 for overall diversity. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 18.5, and gender diversity 99.5.
Glenville State University landed the #15 spot in West Virginia this year. Glenville State University scores 66.4 out of 100 for overall diversity. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 38.6, with a gender-diversity score of 99.9.
West Liberty University landed the #16 spot in West Virginia this year. On overall diversity, it scores 66.0 out of 100. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 43.8, and gender diversity 94.6.
West Virginia University landed the #17 spot in West Virginia this year. It scores 65.9 out of 100 for overall diversity. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 42.3, with a gender-diversity score of 99.8.
Bluefield State University earned the #18 position in West Virginia. On overall diversity, it scores 65.8 out of 100. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 41.1, alongside a 96.1 gender-diversity score.
West Virginia University Institute of Technology earned the #19 position in West Virginia. The school's overall diversity score is 63.1 out of 100. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 36.6, alongside a 100.0 gender-diversity score.
Potomac State College of West Virginia University placed #20 among the most diverse colleges in West Virginia. The school's overall diversity score is 62.8 out of 100. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 32.0, alongside a 97.6 gender-diversity score.
Huntington School of Beauty Culture placed #21 among the most diverse colleges in West Virginia. On overall diversity, it scores 61.8 out of 100. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 35.7, with a gender-diversity score of 30.5.
Fairmont State University earned the #22 position in West Virginia. On overall diversity, it scores 61.6 out of 100. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 26.9, with a gender-diversity score of 98.0.
Mountwest Community and Technical College ranked #23 on our 2026 list of the most diverse colleges. On overall diversity, it scores 61.3 out of 100. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 37.9, with a gender-diversity score of 97.3.
West Virginia Northern Community College landed the #24 spot in West Virginia this year. The school's overall diversity score is 61.1 out of 100. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 21.0, with a gender-diversity score of 94.8.
West Virginia University at Parkersburg ranked #25 on our 2026 list of the most diverse colleges. It scores 60.0 out of 100 for overall diversity. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 17.8, with a gender-diversity score of 96.3.
Not far behind, these colleges also rank among the most diverse this year:
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
We measure this ranking 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.
The ranking above is published by College Factual, 2026 edition.
References
See our data sources and methodologies.