The student population at Essex County College is 7,026 (all undergraduate). The number of students has decreased by 3,928 (35.86%) over the past decade.
The average student population over the last 11 years is 7,717 where 7,026 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 6 decreases. It peaked at 10,954 students in 2016 and was lowest at 6,029 in 2022. Overall, enrollment dropped from 10,954 to 7,026 students, a net loss of 3,928 (35.9%).
The following table and chart illustrate the changes in student population by gender at Essex County College since 2015.
| Year | Total | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015-16 | 10,954 | 4,534 | 6,420 |
| 2016-17 | 9,596 -1,358 | 3,970 -564 | 5,626 -794 |
| 2017-18 | 8,997 -599 | 3,729 -241 | 5,268 -358 |
| 2018-19 | 7,514 -1,483 | 3,169 -560 | 4,345 -923 |
| 2019-20 | 7,434 -80 | 3,086 -83 | 4,348 3 |
| 2020-21 | 6,360 -1,074 | 2,412 -674 | 3,948 -400 |
| 2021-22 | 6,029 -331 | 2,373 -39 | 3,656 -292 |
| 2022-23 | 6,466 437 | 2,540 167 | 3,926 270 |
| 2023-24 | 6,790 324 | 2,753 213 | 4,037 111 |
| 2024-25 | 7,026 236 | 2,814 61 | 4,212 175 |
| Average | 7,717 | 3,138 | 4,579 |
The percentage of white students is 5.95% and the percentage of black students is 45.10% at Essex County College. 2.18% of enrolled students is Asian. Hispanic students comprise 29.46% of the student body.
Over the past 10 years, the racial composition has shifted. The percentage of white students decreased from 8.27% to 5.95%. Asian enrollment declined from 3.09% to 2.18%. Black student enrollment decreased from 48.92% to 45.10%. Hispanic student representation expanded from 25.62% to 29.46%.
The overall racial diversity, measured by the Census Bureau Diversity Index, is 0.7056 which indicates that quite diverse. This increased from 0.6872 a decade ago, suggesting that racial diversity has improved.
The following table and chart illustrate the student population trends by race/ethnicity at Essex County 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 | 20 | 339 | 5,359 | 2,806 | 24 | 906 | 75 |
| 2016-17 | 18 | 298 | 4,410 | 2,541 | 23 | 841 | 65 |
| 2017-18 | 21 | 299 | 3,969 | 2,381 | 19 | 826 | 86 |
| 2018-19 | 14 | 238 | 3,298 | 1,977 | 17 | 689 | 72 |
| 2019-20 | 13 | 239 | 3,327 | 1,961 | 12 | 606 | 96 |
| 2020-21 | 12 | 187 | 2,926 | 1,732 | 9 | 492 | 81 |
| 2021-22 | 9 | 195 | 2,813 | 1,638 | 10 | 398 | 85 |
| 2022-23 | 9 | 167 | 3,020 | 1,863 | 7 | 364 | 94 |
| 2023-24 | 17 | 173 | 2,995 | 2,098 | 5 | 381 | 83 |
| 2024-25 | 14 | 153 | 3,169 | 2,070 | 4 | 418 | 76 |
| Average | 15 | 229 | 3,529 | 2,107 | 13 | 592 | 81 |
706 students are enrolled in online degree programs exclusively for the academic year 2024-2025, which is 10% of total students. The number of online students has increased 711.49% since 2015. The following table and chart illustrate the changes in the online student population by enrolled type at Essex County College from 2015 to 2025.
| Year | Total Enrollment | Online Completely | Enrolled in Some Online Courses | Not Enrolled in Online Courses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015-16 | 10,954 | 87 | 533 | 10,334 |
| 2016-17 | 9,596 | 110 | 497 | 8,989 |
| 2017-18 | 8,997 | 112 | 472 | 8,413 |
| 2018-19 | 7,514 | 122 | 440 | 6,952 |
| 2019-20 | 7,434 | 124 | 552 | 6,758 |
| 2020-21 | 6,360 | 494 | 1,324 | 4,542 |
| 2021-22 | 6,029 | 287 | 1,058 | 4,684 |
| 2022-23 | 6,466 | 277 | 998 | 5,191 |
| 2023-24 | 6,790 | 900 | 2,248 | 3,642 |
| 2024-25 | 7,026 | 706 | 2,173 | 4,147 |
| Average | 7,717 | 322 | 1,030 | 6,365 |
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