The student population at Carl Sandburg College is 1,603 (all undergraduate). The number of students has decreased by 479 (23.01%) over the past decade.
The average student population over the last 11 years is 1,816 where 1,603 students are attending the school for the academic year 2024-2025.
Total enrollment fluctuated between 2016 and 2025, with 3 year-over-year increases and 5 decreases. It peaked at 2,082 students in 2016 and was lowest at 1,603 in 2025. Overall, enrollment dropped from 2,082 to 1,603 students, a net loss of 479 (23%).
The following table and chart illustrate the changes in student population by gender at Carl Sandburg College since 2015.
| Year | Total | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015-16 | 2,082 | 787 | 1,295 |
| 2016-17 | 1,927 -155 | 750 -37 | 1,177 -118 |
| 2017-18 | 1,947 20 | 712 -38 | 1,235 58 |
| 2018-19 | 1,860 -87 | 657 -55 | 1,203 -32 |
| 2019-20 | 1,925 65 | 710 53 | 1,215 12 |
| 2020-21 | 1,755 -170 | 627 -83 | 1,128 -87 |
| 2021-22 | 1,687 -68 | 610 -17 | 1,077 -51 |
| 2022-23 | 1,688 1 | 611 1 | 1,077 |
| 2023-24 | 1,688 | 593 -18 | 1,095 18 |
| 2024-25 | 1,603 -85 | 535 -58 | 1,068 -27 |
| Average | 1,816 | 659 | 1,157 |
The percentage of white students is 73.05%. The percentage was 77.95% 10 years ago and Carl Sandburg still has a high percentage of white students. 0.75% of enrolled students is Asian and 8.11% is black students. Hispanic students comprise 12.35% of the student body.
Over the past 10 years, the racial composition has shifted. The percentage of white students decreased from 77.95% to 73.05%. Asian enrollment declined from 0.86% to 0.75%. Black student enrollment increased from 7.20% to 8.11%. Hispanic student representation expanded from 7.06% to 12.35%.
The overall racial diversity, measured by the Census Bureau Diversity Index, is 0.4427 which indicates that somewhat diverse. This increased from 0.3805 a decade ago, suggesting that racial diversity has improved.
The following table and chart illustrate the student population trends by race/ethnicity at Carl Sandburg 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 | 4 | 18 | 150 | 147 | 1 | 1,623 | 82 |
| 2016-17 | 5 | 16 | 125 | 128 | 1 | 1,496 | 91 |
| 2017-18 | 5 | 15 | 121 | 136 | 2 | 1,506 | 110 |
| 2018-19 | 6 | 21 | 110 | 147 | 0 | 1,422 | 92 |
| 2019-20 | 5 | 13 | 117 | 163 | 2 | 1,471 | 71 |
| 2020-21 | 5 | 13 | 84 | 142 | 1 | 1,338 | 69 |
| 2021-22 | 2 | 12 | 120 | 145 | 2 | 1,263 | 62 |
| 2022-23 | 2 | 19 | 122 | 189 | 1 | 1,231 | 79 |
| 2023-24 | 1 | 15 | 119 | 208 | 2 | 1,243 | 67 |
| 2024-25 | 1 | 12 | 130 | 198 | 1 | 1,171 | 68 |
| Average | 4 | 15 | 120 | 160 | 1 | 1,376 | 79 |
480 students are enrolled in online degree programs exclusively for the academic year 2024-2025, which is 30% of total students. The number of online students has increased 136.45% since 2015. The following table and chart illustrate the changes in the online student population by enrolled type at Carl Sandburg College from 2015 to 2025.
| Year | Total Enrollment | Online Completely | Enrolled in Some Online Courses | Not Enrolled in Online Courses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015-16 | 2,082 | 203 | 508 | 1,371 |
| 2016-17 | 1,927 | 219 | 558 | 1,150 |
| 2017-18 | 1,947 | 286 | 548 | 1,113 |
| 2018-19 | 1,860 | 300 | 546 | 1,014 |
| 2019-20 | 1,925 | 360 | 528 | 1,037 |
| 2020-21 | 1,755 | 742 | 723 | 290 |
| 2021-22 | 1,687 | 601 | 673 | 413 |
| 2022-23 | 1,688 | 520 | 600 | 568 |
| 2023-24 | 1,688 | 495 | 595 | 598 |
| 2024-25 | 1,603 | 480 | 554 | 569 |
| Average | 1,816 | 421 | 583 | 812 |
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