The student population at Cape Fear Community College is 14,082 (all undergraduate). The number of students has increased by 5,231 (59.10%) over the past decade.
The average student population over the last 11 years is 10,698 where 14,082 students are attending the school for the academic year 2024-2025.
Total enrollment fluctuated between 2016 and 2025, with 5 year-over-year increases and 4 decreases. It peaked at 14,170 students in 2023 and was lowest at 8,317 in 2018. Overall, enrollment rose from 8,851 to 14,082 students, a net gain of 5,231 (59.1%).
The following table and chart illustrate the changes in student population by gender at Cape Fear Community College since 2015.
| Year | Total | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015-16 | 8,851 | 4,064 | 4,787 |
| 2016-17 | 8,692 -159 | 3,929 -135 | 4,763 -24 |
| 2017-18 | 8,317 -375 | 3,643 -286 | 4,674 -89 |
| 2018-19 | 8,378 61 | 3,595 -48 | 4,783 109 |
| 2019-20 | 8,629 251 | 3,660 65 | 4,969 186 |
| 2020-21 | 8,680 51 | 3,482 -178 | 5,198 229 |
| 2021-22 | 13,059 4,379 | 6,233 2,751 | 6,826 1,628 |
| 2022-23 | 14,170 1,111 | 7,016 783 | 7,154 328 |
| 2023-24 | 14,119 -51 | 6,656 -360 | 7,463 309 |
| 2024-25 | 14,082 -37 | 6,676 20 | 7,406 -57 |
| Average | 10,698 | 4,895 | 5,802 |
The percentage of white students is 64.86%. The percentage was 73.49% 10 years ago and CFCC still has a high percentage of white students. 1.36% of enrolled students is Asian and 11.28% is black students. Hispanic students comprise 12.73% of the student body.
Over the past 10 years, the racial composition has shifted. The percentage of white students decreased from 73.49% to 64.86%. Asian enrollment grew from 1.04% to 1.36%. Black student enrollment decreased from 12.87% to 11.28%. Hispanic student representation expanded from 6.90% to 12.73%.
The overall racial diversity, measured by the Census Bureau Diversity Index, is 0.5494 which indicates that somewhat diverse. This increased from 0.4374 a decade ago, suggesting that racial diversity has improved.
The following table and chart illustrate the student population trends by race/ethnicity at Cape Fear Community 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 | 77 | 92 | 1,139 | 611 | 25 | 6,505 | 264 |
| 2016-17 | 65 | 100 | 1,028 | 671 | 15 | 6,408 | 281 |
| 2017-18 | 67 | 96 | 923 | 682 | 14 | 6,074 | 415 |
| 2018-19 | 60 | 104 | 947 | 772 | 20 | 5,987 | 241 |
| 2019-20 | 74 | 118 | 895 | 822 | 15 | 6,070 | 246 |
| 2020-21 | 78 | 138 | 896 | 878 | 21 | 6,083 | 247 |
| 2021-22 | 146 | 189 | 1,584 | 1,387 | 22 | 8,953 | 285 |
| 2022-23 | 166 | 179 | 1,676 | 1,537 | 23 | 9,702 | 280 |
| 2023-24 | 146 | 173 | 1,689 | 1,647 | 27 | 9,466 | 339 |
| 2024-25 | 125 | 192 | 1,589 | 1,792 | 45 | 9,133 | 383 |
| Average | 100 | 138 | 1,237 | 1,080 | 23 | 7,438 | 298 |
4,436 students are enrolled in online degree programs exclusively for the academic year 2024-2025, which is 32% of total students. The number of online students has increased 321.67% since 2015. The following table and chart illustrate the changes in the online student population by enrolled type at Cape Fear Community College from 2015 to 2025.
| Year | Total Enrollment | Online Completely | Enrolled in Some Online Courses | Not Enrolled in Online Courses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015-16 | 8,851 | 1,052 | 2,794 | 5,005 |
| 2016-17 | 8,692 | 1,048 | 2,760 | 4,884 |
| 2017-18 | 8,317 | 1,175 | 2,506 | 4,636 |
| 2018-19 | 8,378 | 1,177 | 2,617 | 4,584 |
| 2019-20 | 8,629 | 1,714 | 2,902 | 4,013 |
| 2020-21 | 8,680 | 8,583 | 57 | 40 |
| 2021-22 | 13,059 | 4,632 | 5,618 | 2,809 |
| 2022-23 | 14,170 | 4,133 | 3,416 | 6,621 |
| 2023-24 | 14,119 | 4,381 | 5,217 | 4,521 |
| 2024-25 | 14,082 | 4,436 | 3,462 | 6,184 |
| Average | 10,698 | 3,233 | 3,135 | 4,330 |
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