The student population at Gaston College is 6,443 (all undergraduate). The number of students has increased by 861 (15.42%) over the past decade.
The average student population over the last 11 years is 5,557 where 6,443 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 6,443 students in 2025 and was lowest at 4,953 in 2022. Overall, enrollment rose from 5,582 to 6,443 students, a net gain of 861 (15.4%).
The following table and chart illustrate the changes in student population by gender at Gaston College since 2015.
| Year | Total | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015-16 | 5,582 | 2,013 | 3,569 |
| 2016-17 | 5,633 51 | 2,002 -11 | 3,631 62 |
| 2017-18 | 5,172 -461 | 1,854 -148 | 3,318 -313 |
| 2018-19 | 5,362 190 | 1,867 13 | 3,495 177 |
| 2019-20 | 5,655 293 | 1,932 65 | 3,723 228 |
| 2020-21 | 5,345 -310 | 1,762 -170 | 3,583 -140 |
| 2021-22 | 4,953 -392 | 1,736 -26 | 3,217 -366 |
| 2022-23 | 5,558 605 | 1,957 221 | 3,601 384 |
| 2023-24 | 5,871 313 | 2,118 161 | 3,753 152 |
| 2024-25 | 6,443 572 | 2,261 143 | 4,182 429 |
| Average | 5,557 | 1,950 | 3,607 |
The percentage of white students is 40.01% and the percentage of black students is 12.82% at Gaston College. 0.95% of enrolled students is Asian. Hispanic students comprise 10.06% of the student body.
Over the past 10 years, the racial composition has shifted. The percentage of white students decreased from 69.35% to 40.01%. Asian enrollment declined from 1.43% to 0.95%. Black student enrollment decreased from 15.10% to 12.82%. Hispanic student representation expanded from 6.09% to 10.06%.
The overall racial diversity, measured by the Census Bureau Diversity Index, is 0.8126 which indicates that highly diverse. This increased from 0.4923 a decade ago, suggesting that racial diversity has improved.
The following table and chart illustrate the student population trends by race/ethnicity at Gaston 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 | 80 | 843 | 340 | 2 | 3,871 | 0 |
| 2016-17 | 40 | 87 | 902 | 413 | 3 | 3,742 | 0 |
| 2017-18 | 13 | 49 | 744 | 324 | 44 | 3,162 | 142 |
| 2018-19 | 25 | 72 | 741 | 428 | 0 | 3,551 | 0 |
| 2019-20 | 21 | 50 | 691 | 381 | 3 | 3,047 | 140 |
| 2020-21 | 18 | 91 | 743 | 446 | 0 | 3,380 | 0 |
| 2021-22 | 10 | 81 | 666 | 347 | 0 | 3,158 | 4 |
| 2022-23 | 14 | 47 | 634 | 454 | 2 | 2,349 | 145 |
| 2023-24 | 11 | 65 | 718 | 475 | 4 | 2,252 | 148 |
| 2024-25 | 16 | 61 | 826 | 648 | 2 | 2,578 | 169 |
| Average | 20 | 68 | 751 | 426 | 6 | 3,109 | 75 |
3,266 students are enrolled in online degree programs exclusively for the academic year 2024-2025, which is 51% of total students. The number of online students has increased 170.59% since 2015. The following table and chart illustrate the changes in the online student population by enrolled type at Gaston College from 2015 to 2025.
| Year | Total Enrollment | Online Completely | Enrolled in Some Online Courses | Not Enrolled in Online Courses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015-16 | 5,582 | 1,207 | 1,714 | 2,661 |
| 2016-17 | 5,633 | 1,459 | 1,634 | 2,540 |
| 2017-18 | 5,172 | 1,240 | 1,539 | 2,393 |
| 2018-19 | 5,362 | 1,570 | 1,516 | 2,276 |
| 2019-20 | 5,655 | 2,028 | 1,626 | 2,001 |
| 2020-21 | 4,909 | 4,266 | 512 | 131 |
| 2021-22 | 4,953 | 2,752 | 1,864 | 337 |
| 2022-23 | 5,558 | 2,705 | 2,495 | 358 |
| 2023-24 | 5,871 | 3,176 | 2,295 | 400 |
| 2024-25 | 6,443 | 3,266 | 2,645 | 532 |
| Average | 5,514 | 2,367 | 1,784 | 1,363 |
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