The student population at Palomar College is 19,550 (all undergraduate). The number of students has decreased by 3,932 (16.74%) over the past decade.
The average student population over the last 11 years is 21,377 where 19,550 students are attending the school for the academic year 2024-2025.
Total enrollment fluctuated between 2016 and 2025, with 5 year-over-year increases and 4 decreases. It peaked at 23,923 students in 2017 and was lowest at 17,566 in 2022. Overall, enrollment dropped from 23,482 to 19,550 students, a net loss of 3,932 (16.7%).
The following table and chart illustrate the changes in student population by gender at Palomar College since 2015.
| Year | Total | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015-16 | 23,482 | 12,712 | 10,770 |
| 2016-17 | 23,923 441 | 13,087 375 | 10,836 66 |
| 2017-18 | 23,848 -75 | 12,832 -255 | 11,016 180 |
| 2018-19 | 23,917 69 | 12,603 -229 | 11,314 298 |
| 2019-20 | 23,874 -43 | 12,515 -88 | 11,359 45 |
| 2020-21 | 21,141 -2,733 | 10,416 -2,099 | 10,725 -634 |
| 2021-22 | 17,566 -3,575 | 8,950 -1,466 | 8,616 -2,109 |
| 2022-23 | 17,655 89 | 9,384 434 | 8,271 -345 |
| 2023-24 | 18,815 1,160 | 10,205 821 | 8,610 339 |
| 2024-25 | 19,550 735 | 10,538 333 | 9,012 402 |
| Average | 21,377 | 11,324 | 10,053 |
The percentage of white students is 31.62% and the percentage of black students is 2.93% at Palomar College. 6.56% of enrolled students is Asian. Hispanic students comprise 49.76% of the student body.
Over the past 10 years, the racial composition has shifted. The percentage of white students decreased from 40.08% to 31.62%. Asian enrollment grew from 6.27% to 6.56%. Black student enrollment decreased from 3.20% to 2.93%. Hispanic student representation expanded from 40.58% to 49.76%.
The overall racial diversity, measured by the Census Bureau Diversity Index, is 0.6432 which indicates that moderately diverse. This decreased from 0.6675 a decade ago, suggesting that racial diversity has declined.
The following table and chart illustrate the student population trends by race/ethnicity at Palomar 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 | 158 | 1,473 | 751 | 9,530 | 114 | 9,411 | 1,085 |
| 2016-17 | 183 | 1,458 | 740 | 10,002 | 120 | 9,261 | 1,121 |
| 2017-18 | 168 | 1,422 | 755 | 10,332 | 116 | 8,960 | 1,182 |
| 2018-19 | 187 | 1,502 | 742 | 10,687 | 116 | 8,665 | 1,248 |
| 2019-20 | 149 | 1,502 | 703 | 11,142 | 91 | 8,057 | 1,272 |
| 2020-21 | 144 | 1,398 | 597 | 9,693 | 77 | 7,380 | 1,277 |
| 2021-22 | 113 | 1,131 | 487 | 8,198 | 75 | 6,057 | 1,117 |
| 2022-23 | 102 | 1,119 | 478 | 8,531 | 68 | 5,943 | 1,108 |
| 2023-24 | 100 | 1,151 | 557 | 9,267 | 83 | 6,158 | 1,139 |
| 2024-25 | 117 | 1,282 | 573 | 9,728 | 79 | 6,181 | 1,239 |
| Average | 142 | 1,344 | 638 | 9,711 | 94 | 7,607 | 1,179 |
5,246 students are enrolled in online degree programs exclusively for the academic year 2024-2025, which is 27% of total students. The number of online students has increased 237.58% since 2015. The following table and chart illustrate the changes in the online student population by enrolled type at Palomar College from 2015 to 2025.
| Year | Total Enrollment | Online Completely | Enrolled in Some Online Courses | Not Enrolled in Online Courses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015-16 | 23,482 | 1,554 | 5,752 | 16,176 |
| 2016-17 | 23,923 | 2,010 | 5,942 | 15,971 |
| 2017-18 | 23,848 | 2,579 | 6,032 | 15,237 |
| 2018-19 | 23,917 | 2,879 | 6,201 | 14,837 |
| 2019-20 | 23,874 | 2,899 | 6,250 | 14,725 |
| 2020-21 | 21,141 | 18,835 | 272 | 2,034 |
| 2021-22 | 17,566 | 12,985 | 2,400 | 2,181 |
| 2022-23 | 17,655 | 5,669 | 5,677 | 6,309 |
| 2023-24 | 18,815 | 4,990 | 6,365 | 7,460 |
| 2024-25 | 19,550 | 5,246 | 6,667 | 7,637 |
| Average | 21,377 | 5,965 | 5,156 | 10,257 |
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