The student population at College of the Desert is 12,861 (all undergraduate). The number of students has increased by 2,395 (22.88%) over the past decade.
The average student population over the last 11 years is 11,090 where 12,861 students are attending the school for the academic year 2024-2025.
Total enrollment fluctuated between 2016 and 2025, with 7 year-over-year increases and 2 decreases. It peaked at 12,861 students in 2025 and was lowest at 10,229 in 2022. Overall, enrollment rose from 10,466 to 12,861 students, a net gain of 2,395 (22.9%).
The following table and chart illustrate the changes in student population by gender at College of the Desert since 2015.
| Year | Total | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015-16 | 10,466 | 4,791 | 5,675 |
| 2016-17 | 10,792 326 | 4,832 41 | 5,960 285 |
| 2017-18 | 11,146 354 | 4,973 141 | 6,173 213 |
| 2018-19 | 11,412 266 | 5,027 54 | 6,385 212 |
| 2019-20 | 11,919 507 | 5,302 275 | 6,617 232 |
| 2020-21 | 10,932 -987 | 4,401 -901 | 6,531 -86 |
| 2021-22 | 10,229 -703 | 4,205 -196 | 6,024 -507 |
| 2022-23 | 10,382 153 | 4,367 162 | 6,015 -9 |
| 2023-24 | 10,764 382 | 4,623 256 | 6,141 126 |
| 2024-25 | 12,861 2,097 | 5,587 964 | 7,274 1,133 |
| Average | 11,090 | 4,811 | 6,280 |
The percentage of white students is 14.70% and the percentage of black students is 2.38% at College of the Desert. 2.65% of enrolled students is Asian. Hispanic students comprise 73.94% of the student body.
Over the past 10 years, the racial composition has shifted. The percentage of white students decreased from 19.64% to 14.70%. Asian enrollment declined from 3.20% to 2.65%. Black student enrollment decreased from 2.85% to 2.38%. Hispanic student representation expanded from 68.28% to 73.94%.
The overall racial diversity, measured by the Census Bureau Diversity Index, is 0.4298 which indicates that somewhat diverse. This decreased from 0.4927 a decade ago, suggesting that racial diversity has declined.
The following table and chart illustrate the student population trends by race/ethnicity at College of the Desert 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 | 37 | 335 | 298 | 7,146 | 19 | 2,056 | 274 |
| 2016-17 | 32 | 334 | 304 | 7,573 | 10 | 1,994 | 289 |
| 2017-18 | 39 | 329 | 313 | 8,049 | 18 | 1,905 | 279 |
| 2018-19 | 35 | 344 | 304 | 8,388 | 12 | 1,857 | 297 |
| 2019-20 | 43 | 354 | 313 | 8,765 | 13 | 1,852 | 304 |
| 2020-21 | 36 | 322 | 257 | 8,066 | 8 | 1,721 | 324 |
| 2021-22 | 27 | 310 | 242 | 7,561 | 6 | 1,594 | 311 |
| 2022-23 | 36 | 307 | 255 | 7,838 | 14 | 1,485 | 289 |
| 2023-24 | 27 | 310 | 262 | 8,208 | 13 | 1,481 | 304 |
| 2024-25 | 37 | 341 | 306 | 9,509 | 8 | 1,891 | 314 |
| Average | 35 | 329 | 285 | 8,110 | 12 | 1,784 | 299 |
4,122 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 749.90% since 2015. The following table and chart illustrate the changes in the online student population by enrolled type at College of the Desert from 2015 to 2025.
| Year | Total Enrollment | Online Completely | Enrolled in Some Online Courses | Not Enrolled in Online Courses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015-16 | 10,466 | 485 | 1,731 | 8,250 |
| 2016-17 | 10,792 | 642 | 2,086 | 8,064 |
| 2017-18 | 11,146 | 646 | 2,049 | 8,451 |
| 2018-19 | 11,412 | 798 | 2,334 | 8,280 |
| 2019-20 | 11,919 | 919 | 2,595 | 8,405 |
| 2020-21 | 10,932 | 10,522 | 387 | 23 |
| 2021-22 | 10,229 | 7,621 | 1,344 | 1,264 |
| 2022-23 | 10,382 | 4,078 | 3,568 | 2,736 |
| 2023-24 | 10,764 | 3,635 | 3,802 | 3,327 |
| 2024-25 | 12,861 | 4,122 | 4,016 | 4,723 |
| Average | 11,090 | 3,347 | 2,391 | 5,352 |
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