The student population at Merced College is 12,472 (all undergraduate). The number of students has increased by 2,083 (20.05%) over the past decade.
The average student population over the last 11 years is 10,867 where 12,472 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 12,472 students in 2025 and was lowest at 9,282 in 2022. Overall, enrollment rose from 10,389 to 12,472 students, a net gain of 2,083 (20.1%).
The following table and chart illustrate the changes in student population by gender at Merced College since 2015.
| Year | Total | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015-16 | 10,389 | 4,372 | 6,017 |
| 2016-17 | 10,750 361 | 4,531 159 | 6,219 202 |
| 2017-18 | 10,912 162 | 4,551 20 | 6,361 142 |
| 2018-19 | 10,995 83 | 4,487 -64 | 6,508 147 |
| 2019-20 | 11,173 178 | 4,525 38 | 6,648 140 |
| 2020-21 | 10,645 -528 | 3,956 -569 | 6,689 41 |
| 2021-22 | 9,282 -1,363 | 3,603 -353 | 5,679 -1,010 |
| 2022-23 | 10,214 932 | 4,036 433 | 6,178 499 |
| 2023-24 | 11,835 1,621 | 4,831 795 | 7,004 826 |
| 2024-25 | 12,472 637 | 5,139 308 | 7,333 329 |
| Average | 10,867 | 4,403 | 6,464 |
The percentage of white students is 16.47% and the percentage of black students is 3.79% at Merced College. 7.11% of enrolled students is Asian. Hispanic students comprise 65.97% of the student body.
Over the past 10 years, the racial composition has shifted. The percentage of white students decreased from 21.94% to 16.47%. Asian enrollment declined from 9.60% to 7.11%. Black student enrollment increased from 3.46% to 3.79%. Hispanic student representation expanded from 59.73% to 65.97%.
The overall racial diversity, measured by the Census Bureau Diversity Index, is 0.5301 which indicates that somewhat diverse. This decreased from 0.5839 a decade ago, suggesting that racial diversity has declined.
The following table and chart illustrate the student population trends by race/ethnicity at Merced 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 | 43 | 997 | 359 | 6,205 | 37 | 2,279 | 300 |
| 2016-17 | 40 | 1,034 | 356 | 6,507 | 43 | 2,312 | 314 |
| 2017-18 | 53 | 1,011 | 333 | 6,701 | 43 | 2,266 | 333 |
| 2018-19 | 44 | 937 | 288 | 6,032 | 38 | 2,023 | 315 |
| 2019-20 | 48 | 849 | 317 | 6,349 | 36 | 1,804 | 254 |
| 2020-21 | 50 | 888 | 316 | 6,306 | 22 | 1,902 | 321 |
| 2021-22 | 46 | 743 | 295 | 5,769 | 24 | 1,703 | 294 |
| 2022-23 | 49 | 788 | 353 | 6,654 | 25 | 1,759 | 344 |
| 2023-24 | 55 | 884 | 416 | 7,791 | 31 | 2,015 | 430 |
| 2024-25 | 43 | 887 | 473 | 8,228 | 27 | 2,054 | 409 |
| Average | 47 | 902 | 351 | 6,654 | 33 | 2,012 | 331 |
5,000 students are enrolled in online degree programs exclusively for the academic year 2024-2025, which is 40% of total students. The number of online students has increased 1,472.33% since 2015. The following table and chart illustrate the changes in the online student population by enrolled type at Merced College from 2015 to 2025.
| Year | Total Enrollment | Online Completely | Enrolled in Some Online Courses | Not Enrolled in Online Courses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015-16 | 10,389 | 318 | 1,524 | 8,547 |
| 2016-17 | 10,750 | 421 | 1,671 | 8,658 |
| 2017-18 | 10,912 | 588 | 1,990 | 8,334 |
| 2018-19 | 10,995 | 514 | 2,258 | 8,223 |
| 2019-20 | 11,173 | 852 | 2,516 | 7,805 |
| 2020-21 | 10,645 | 9,484 | 842 | 319 |
| 2021-22 | 9,282 | 5,732 | 2,512 | 1,038 |
| 2022-23 | 10,214 | 4,418 | 3,469 | 2,327 |
| 2023-24 | 11,835 | 4,809 | 3,967 | 3,059 |
| 2024-25 | 12,472 | 5,000 | 4,027 | 3,445 |
| Average | 10,867 | 3,214 | 2,478 | 5,176 |
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