The student population at Catawba Valley Community College is 4,904 (all undergraduate). The number of students has increased by 333 (7.29%) over the past decade.
The average student population over the last 11 years is 4,539 where 4,904 students are attending the school for the academic year 2024-2025.
Total enrollment fluctuated between 2016 and 2025, with 6 year-over-year increases and 3 decreases. It peaked at 4,904 students in 2025 and was lowest at 4,168 in 2022. Overall, enrollment rose from 4,571 to 4,904 students, a net gain of 333 (7.3%).
The following table and chart illustrate the changes in student population by gender at Catawba Valley Community College since 2015.
| Year | Total | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015-16 | 4,571 | 1,942 | 2,629 |
| 2016-17 | 4,703 132 | 2,061 119 | 2,642 13 |
| 2017-18 | 4,827 124 | 2,095 34 | 2,732 90 |
| 2018-19 | 4,610 -217 | 2,046 -49 | 2,564 -168 |
| 2019-20 | 4,693 83 | 2,035 -11 | 2,658 94 |
| 2020-21 | 4,328 -365 | 1,808 -227 | 2,520 -138 |
| 2021-22 | 4,168 -160 | 1,754 -54 | 2,414 -106 |
| 2022-23 | 4,172 4 | 1,814 60 | 2,358 -56 |
| 2023-24 | 4,413 241 | 1,984 170 | 2,429 71 |
| 2024-25 | 4,904 491 | 2,217 233 | 2,687 258 |
| Average | 4,539 | 1,976 | 2,563 |
The percentage of white students is 62.15%. The percentage was 70.01% 10 years ago and CVCC still has a high percentage of white students. 6.97% of enrolled students is Asian and 6.48% is black students. Hispanic students comprise 18.23% of the student body.
Over the past 10 years, the racial composition has shifted. The percentage of white students decreased from 70.01% to 62.15%. Asian enrollment declined from 8.16% to 6.97%. Black student enrollment decreased from 8.25% to 6.48%. Hispanic student representation expanded from 9.30% to 18.23%.
The overall racial diversity, measured by the Census Bureau Diversity Index, is 0.5702 which indicates that moderately diverse. This increased from 0.4875 a decade ago, suggesting that racial diversity has improved.
The following table and chart illustrate the student population trends by race/ethnicity at Catawba Valley 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 | 36 | 373 | 377 | 425 | 9 | 3,200 | 65 |
| 2016-17 | 32 | 355 | 360 | 495 | 5 | 3,293 | 92 |
| 2017-18 | 28 | 377 | 361 | 545 | 4 | 3,334 | 77 |
| 2018-19 | 22 | 335 | 321 | 565 | 4 | 3,150 | 98 |
| 2019-20 | 9 | 364 | 284 | 635 | 7 | 3,129 | 138 |
| 2020-21 | 6 | 345 | 257 | 612 | 2 | 2,883 | 114 |
| 2021-22 | 11 | 285 | 224 | 620 | 6 | 2,768 | 136 |
| 2022-23 | 12 | 274 | 253 | 677 | 5 | 2,686 | 151 |
| 2023-24 | 13 | 298 | 263 | 762 | 8 | 2,804 | 162 |
| 2024-25 | 18 | 342 | 318 | 894 | 12 | 3,048 | 170 |
| Average | 19 | 335 | 302 | 623 | 6 | 3,030 | 120 |
3,098 students are enrolled in online degree programs exclusively for the academic year 2024-2025, which is 63% of total students. The number of online students has increased 18.65% since 2015. The following table and chart illustrate the changes in the online student population by enrolled type at Catawba Valley Community College from 2015 to 2025.
| Year | Total Enrollment | Online Completely | Enrolled in Some Online Courses | Not Enrolled in Online Courses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015-16 | 4,571 | 2,611 | 1,960 | 0 |
| 2016-17 | 4,703 | 798 | 1,481 | 2,424 |
| 2017-18 | 4,827 | 698 | 1,867 | 2,262 |
| 2018-19 | 4,610 | 678 | 1,796 | 2,136 |
| 2019-20 | 4,693 | 863 | 1,600 | 2,230 |
| 2020-21 | 4,328 | 3,702 | 400 | 226 |
| 2021-22 | 4,168 | 2,413 | 1,264 | 491 |
| 2022-23 | 4,172 | 2,584 | 1,156 | 432 |
| 2023-24 | 4,413 | 2,897 | 1,100 | 416 |
| 2024-25 | 4,904 | 3,098 | 1,295 | 511 |
| Average | 4,539 | 2,034 | 1,392 | 1,113 |
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