The student population at Bismarck State College is 4,206 (all undergraduate). The number of students has increased by 128 (3.14%) over the past decade.
The average student population over the last 11 years is 3,863 where 4,206 students are attending the school for the academic year 2024-2025.
Total enrollment fluctuated between 2016 and 2025, with 4 year-over-year increases and 5 decreases. It peaked at 4,206 students in 2025 and was lowest at 3,549 in 2022. Overall, enrollment rose from 4,078 to 4,206 students, a net gain of 128 (3.1%).
The following table and chart illustrate the changes in student population by gender at Bismarck State College since 2015.
| Year | Total | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015-16 | 4,078 | 2,307 | 1,771 |
| 2016-17 | 3,976 -102 | 2,263 -44 | 1,713 -58 |
| 2017-18 | 3,756 -220 | 2,186 -77 | 1,570 -143 |
| 2018-19 | 3,778 22 | 2,134 -52 | 1,644 74 |
| 2019-20 | 3,739 -39 | 2,120 -14 | 1,619 -25 |
| 2020-21 | 3,716 -23 | 2,028 -92 | 1,688 69 |
| 2021-22 | 3,549 -167 | 1,863 -165 | 1,686 -2 |
| 2022-23 | 3,771 222 | 1,972 109 | 1,799 113 |
| 2023-24 | 4,065 294 | 2,088 116 | 1,977 178 |
| 2024-25 | 4,206 141 | 2,106 18 | 2,100 123 |
| Average | 3,863 | 2,107 | 1,757 |
The percentage of white students is 79.58%. The percentage was 86.73% 10 years ago and BSC still has a high percentage of white students. 1.14% of enrolled students is Asian and 2.95% is black students. Hispanic students comprise 3.11% of the student body.
Over the past 10 years, the racial composition has shifted. The percentage of white students decreased from 86.73% to 79.58%. Asian enrollment grew from 0.61% to 1.14%. Black student enrollment decreased from 3.24% to 2.95%. Hispanic student representation expanded from 2.84% to 3.11%.
The overall racial diversity, measured by the Census Bureau Diversity Index, is 0.3622 which indicates that somewhat diverse. This increased from 0.2448 a decade ago, suggesting that racial diversity has improved.
The following table and chart illustrate the student population trends by race/ethnicity at Bismarck State College over the past 11 years (2015-2025).
| Year | American Indian or Native American | Asian | Black | Hispanic | Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander | White | Two or More Races |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015-16 | 67 | 25 | 132 | 116 | 3 | 3,537 | 110 |
| 2016-17 | 66 | 24 | 112 | 121 | 7 | 3,472 | 102 |
| 2017-18 | 57 | 19 | 100 | 141 | 3 | 3,256 | 103 |
| 2018-19 | 57 | 25 | 105 | 149 | 2 | 3,260 | 121 |
| 2019-20 | 64 | 29 | 93 | 152 | 5 | 3,216 | 146 |
| 2020-21 | 53 | 35 | 89 | 173 | 1 | 3,171 | 153 |
| 2021-22 | 57 | 31 | 86 | 181 | 1 | 2,851 | 161 |
| 2022-23 | 58 | 28 | 90 | 182 | 2 | 2,768 | 172 |
| 2023-24 | 57 | 27 | 95 | 167 | 6 | 3,082 | 169 |
| 2024-25 | 85 | 48 | 124 | 131 | 4 | 3,347 | 196 |
| Average | 62 | 29 | 103 | 151 | 3 | 3,196 | 143 |
1,467 students are enrolled in online degree programs exclusively for the academic year 2024-2025, which is 35% of total students. The number of online students has decreased -19.79% since 2015. The following table and chart illustrate the changes in the online student population by enrolled type at Bismarck State College from 2015 to 2025.
| Year | Total Enrollment | Online Completely | Enrolled in Some Online Courses | Not Enrolled in Online Courses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015-16 | 4,078 | 1,829 | 747 | 1,502 |
| 2016-17 | 3,976 | 1,691 | 741 | 1,544 |
| 2017-18 | 3,756 | 1,623 | 771 | 1,362 |
| 2018-19 | 3,778 | 1,695 | 770 | 1,313 |
| 2019-20 | 3,739 | 1,212 | 793 | 1,734 |
| 2020-21 | 3,716 | 1,381 | 1,053 | 1,282 |
| 2021-22 | 3,549 | 1,388 | 903 | 1,258 |
| 2022-23 | 3,771 | 1,294 | 912 | 1,565 |
| 2023-24 | 4,065 | 1,394 | 941 | 1,730 |
| 2024-25 | 4,206 | 1,467 | 1,166 | 1,573 |
| Average | 3,863 | 1,497 | 880 | 1,486 |
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