The student population at Northwestern Michigan College is 3,253 (all undergraduate). The number of students has decreased by 1,011 (23.71%) over the past decade.
The average student population over the last 11 years is 3,576 where 3,253 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 4,264 students in 2016 and was lowest at 3,098 in 2023. Overall, enrollment dropped from 4,264 to 3,253 students, a net loss of 1,011 (23.7%).
The following table and chart illustrate the changes in student population by gender at Northwestern Michigan College since 2015.
| Year | Total | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015-16 | 4,264 | 2,061 | 2,203 |
| 2016-17 | 4,164 -100 | 2,019 -42 | 2,145 -58 |
| 2017-18 | 3,954 -210 | 1,922 -97 | 2,032 -113 |
| 2018-19 | 3,727 -227 | 1,815 -107 | 1,912 -120 |
| 2019-20 | 3,579 -148 | 1,727 -88 | 1,852 -60 |
| 2020-21 | 3,278 -301 | 1,545 -182 | 1,733 -119 |
| 2021-22 | 3,296 18 | 1,484 -61 | 1,812 79 |
| 2022-23 | 3,098 -198 | 1,412 -72 | 1,686 -126 |
| 2023-24 | 3,146 48 | 1,467 55 | 1,679 -7 |
| 2024-25 | 3,253 107 | 1,581 114 | 1,672 -7 |
| Average | 3,576 | 1,703 | 1,873 |
The percentage of white students is 74.95%. The percentage was 84.66% 10 years ago and NMC still has a high percentage of white students. 1.48% of enrolled students is Asian and 1.44% is black students. Hispanic students comprise 5.07% of the student body.
Over the past 10 years, the racial composition has shifted. The percentage of white students decreased from 84.66% to 74.95%. Asian enrollment grew from 1.03% to 1.48%. Black student enrollment increased from 1.06% to 1.44%. Hispanic student representation expanded from 3.54% to 5.07%.
The overall racial diversity, measured by the Census Bureau Diversity Index, is 0.4336 which indicates that somewhat diverse. This increased from 0.2806 a decade ago, suggesting that racial diversity has improved.
The following table and chart illustrate the student population trends by race/ethnicity at Northwestern Michigan 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 | 75 | 44 | 45 | 151 | 4 | 3,610 | 122 |
| 2016-17 | 64 | 30 | 57 | 171 | 5 | 3,483 | 126 |
| 2017-18 | 69 | 35 | 43 | 132 | 3 | 3,303 | 119 |
| 2018-19 | 65 | 39 | 45 | 137 | 7 | 3,048 | 114 |
| 2019-20 | 62 | 43 | 43 | 141 | 6 | 2,885 | 108 |
| 2020-21 | 57 | 31 | 37 | 139 | 5 | 2,628 | 101 |
| 2021-22 | 45 | 33 | 40 | 142 | 6 | 2,652 | 113 |
| 2022-23 | 38 | 38 | 38 | 148 | 3 | 2,434 | 120 |
| 2023-24 | 38 | 43 | 37 | 147 | 2 | 2,420 | 112 |
| 2024-25 | 45 | 48 | 47 | 165 | 0 | 2,438 | 127 |
| Average | 56 | 38 | 43 | 147 | 4 | 2,890 | 116 |
792 students are enrolled in online degree programs exclusively for the academic year 2024-2025, which is 24% of total students. The number of online students has increased 118.18% since 2015. The following table and chart illustrate the changes in the online student population by enrolled type at Northwestern Michigan College from 2015 to 2025.
| Year | Total Enrollment | Online Completely | Enrolled in Some Online Courses | Not Enrolled in Online Courses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015-16 | 4,264 | 363 | 751 | 3,150 |
| 2016-17 | 4,164 | 389 | 734 | 3,041 |
| 2017-18 | 3,954 | 392 | 790 | 2,772 |
| 2018-19 | 3,727 | 447 | 769 | 2,511 |
| 2019-20 | 3,579 | 444 | 752 | 2,383 |
| 2020-21 | 3,278 | 705 | 1,408 | 1,165 |
| 2021-22 | 3,296 | 1,210 | 1,223 | 863 |
| 2022-23 | 3,098 | 873 | 1,174 | 1,051 |
| 2023-24 | 3,146 | 833 | 1,053 | 1,260 |
| 2024-25 | 3,253 | 792 | 1,137 | 1,324 |
| Average | 3,576 | 645 | 979 | 1,952 |
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