The student population at Northwest Shoals Community College is 4,665 (all undergraduate). The number of students has increased by 965 (26.08%) over the past decade.
The average student population over the last 11 years is 3,751 where 4,665 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 4,665 students in 2025 and was lowest at 3,360 in 2021. Overall, enrollment rose from 3,700 to 4,665 students, a net gain of 965 (26.1%).
The following table and chart illustrate the changes in student population by gender at Northwest Shoals Community College since 2015.
| Year | Total | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015-16 | 3,700 | 1,591 | 2,109 |
| 2016-17 | 3,752 52 | 1,600 9 | 2,152 43 |
| 2017-18 | 3,440 -312 | 1,422 -178 | 2,018 -134 |
| 2018-19 | 3,539 99 | 1,392 -30 | 2,147 129 |
| 2019-20 | 3,512 -27 | 1,367 -25 | 2,145 -2 |
| 2020-21 | 3,360 -152 | 1,346 -21 | 2,014 -131 |
| 2021-22 | 3,371 11 | 1,452 106 | 1,919 -95 |
| 2022-23 | 4,032 661 | 1,853 401 | 2,179 260 |
| 2023-24 | 4,136 104 | 1,831 -22 | 2,305 126 |
| 2024-25 | 4,665 529 | 2,018 187 | 2,647 342 |
| Average | 3,751 | 1,587 | 2,164 |
The percentage of white students is 71.62%. The percentage was 79.51% 10 years ago and Northwest Shoals CC still has a high percentage of white students. 0.69% of enrolled students is Asian and 8.10% is black students. Hispanic students comprise 12.05% of the student body.
Over the past 10 years, the racial composition has shifted. The percentage of white students decreased from 79.51% to 71.62%. Asian enrollment grew from 0.38% to 0.69%. Black student enrollment decreased from 11.86% to 8.10%. Hispanic student representation expanded from 3.97% to 12.05%.
The overall racial diversity, measured by the Census Bureau Diversity Index, is 0.4628 which indicates that somewhat diverse. This increased from 0.3520 a decade ago, suggesting that racial diversity has improved.
The following table and chart illustrate the student population trends by race/ethnicity at Northwest Shoals 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 | 32 | 14 | 439 | 147 | 3 | 2,942 | 10 |
| 2016-17 | 30 | 13 | 399 | 167 | 3 | 3,031 | 11 |
| 2017-18 | 32 | 16 | 282 | 195 | 1 | 2,808 | 6 |
| 2018-19 | 33 | 20 | 345 | 213 | 4 | 2,795 | 7 |
| 2019-20 | 29 | 24 | 356 | 255 | 2 | 2,593 | 149 |
| 2020-21 | 24 | 32 | 314 | 243 | 2 | 2,562 | 121 |
| 2021-22 | 24 | 24 | 304 | 355 | 2 | 2,525 | 108 |
| 2022-23 | 34 | 26 | 329 | 409 | 4 | 3,016 | 183 |
| 2023-24 | 30 | 28 | 331 | 412 | 6 | 3,085 | 205 |
| 2024-25 | 36 | 32 | 378 | 562 | 4 | 3,341 | 258 |
| Average | 30 | 23 | 348 | 296 | 3 | 2,870 | 106 |
1,094 students are enrolled in online degree programs exclusively for the academic year 2024-2025, which is 23% of total students. The number of online students has increased 521.59% since 2015. The following table and chart illustrate the changes in the online student population by enrolled type at Northwest Shoals Community College from 2015 to 2025.
| Year | Total Enrollment | Online Completely | Enrolled in Some Online Courses | Not Enrolled in Online Courses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015-16 | 3,700 | 176 | 737 | 2,787 |
| 2016-17 | 3,752 | 230 | 703 | 2,819 |
| 2017-18 | 3,440 | 255 | 663 | 2,522 |
| 2018-19 | 3,539 | 422 | 871 | 2,246 |
| 2019-20 | 3,512 | 346 | 916 | 2,250 |
| 2020-21 | 3,360 | 560 | 891 | 1,909 |
| 2021-22 | 3,371 | 609 | 833 | 1,929 |
| 2022-23 | 4,032 | 614 | 912 | 2,506 |
| 2023-24 | 4,136 | 767 | 946 | 2,423 |
| 2024-25 | 4,665 | 1,094 | 1,308 | 2,263 |
| Average | 3,751 | 507 | 878 | 2,365 |
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