The student population at San Diego Mesa College is 19,212 (all undergraduate). The number of students has decreased by 4,996 (20.64%) over the past decade.
The average student population over the last 11 years is 20,955 where 19,212 students are attending the school for the academic year 2024-2025.
Total enrollment fluctuated between 2016 and 2025, with 2 year-over-year increases and 7 decreases. It peaked at 24,208 students in 2016 and was lowest at 18,028 in 2022. Overall, enrollment dropped from 24,208 to 19,212 students, a net loss of 4,996 (20.6%).
The following table and chart illustrate the changes in student population by gender at San Diego Mesa College since 2015.
| Year | Total | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015-16 | 24,208 | 11,651 | 12,557 |
| 2016-17 | 23,560 -648 | 11,209 -442 | 12,351 -206 |
| 2017-18 | 23,532 -28 | 10,905 -304 | 12,627 276 |
| 2018-19 | 22,284 -1,248 | 10,178 -727 | 12,106 -521 |
| 2019-20 | 20,712 -1,572 | 9,332 -846 | 11,380 -726 |
| 2020-21 | 20,693 -19 | 8,905 -427 | 11,788 408 |
| 2021-22 | 18,028 -2,665 | 7,896 -1,009 | 10,132 -1,656 |
| 2022-23 | 18,076 48 | 7,977 81 | 10,099 -33 |
| 2023-24 | 19,243 1,167 | 8,751 774 | 10,492 393 |
| 2024-25 | 19,212 -31 | 8,766 15 | 10,446 -46 |
| Average | 20,955 | 9,557 | 11,398 |
The percentage of white students is 28.11% and the percentage of black students is 6.87% at San Diego Mesa College. 13.08% of enrolled students is Asian. Hispanic students comprise 41.99% of the student body.
Over the past 10 years, the racial composition has shifted. The percentage of white students decreased from 32.18% to 28.11%. Asian enrollment declined from 15.22% to 13.08%. Black student enrollment increased from 6.25% to 6.87%. Hispanic student representation expanded from 34.33% to 41.99%.
The overall racial diversity, measured by the Census Bureau Diversity Index, is 0.7167 which indicates that quite diverse. This decreased from 0.7477 a decade ago, suggesting that racial diversity has declined.
The following table and chart illustrate the student population trends by race/ethnicity at San Diego Mesa 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 | 3,684 | 1,512 | 8,311 | 155 | 7,789 | 1,488 |
| 2016-17 | 67 | 3,401 | 1,587 | 8,618 | 133 | 7,645 | 1,506 |
| 2017-18 | 67 | 3,503 | 1,515 | 8,785 | 135 | 7,378 | 1,513 |
| 2018-19 | 73 | 3,249 | 1,474 | 8,515 | 132 | 6,822 | 1,448 |
| 2019-20 | 66 | 3,133 | 1,254 | 8,066 | 83 | 6,004 | 1,409 |
| 2020-21 | 49 | 3,107 | 1,197 | 8,082 | 92 | 6,090 | 1,586 |
| 2021-22 | 46 | 2,700 | 1,099 | 7,197 | 83 | 5,213 | 1,366 |
| 2022-23 | 41 | 2,638 | 1,167 | 7,198 | 83 | 5,235 | 1,415 |
| 2023-24 | 41 | 2,670 | 1,250 | 7,869 | 78 | 5,464 | 1,574 |
| 2024-25 | 52 | 2,513 | 1,320 | 8,068 | 96 | 5,401 | 1,499 |
| Average | 58 | 3,060 | 1,338 | 8,071 | 107 | 6,304 | 1,480 |
7,447 students are enrolled in online degree programs exclusively for the academic year 2024-2025, which is 39% of total students. The number of online students has increased 128.44% since 2015. The following table and chart illustrate the changes in the online student population by enrolled type at San Diego Mesa College from 2015 to 2025.
| Year | Total Enrollment | Online Completely | Enrolled in Some Online Courses | Not Enrolled in Online Courses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015-16 | 24,208 | 3,260 | 3,018 | 17,930 |
| 2016-17 | 23,560 | 3,665 | 3,437 | 16,458 |
| 2017-18 | 23,532 | 3,967 | 3,673 | 15,892 |
| 2018-19 | 22,284 | 4,115 | 3,882 | 14,287 |
| 2019-20 | 20,712 | 3,661 | 4,126 | 12,925 |
| 2020-21 | 20,693 | 19,792 | 750 | 151 |
| 2021-22 | 18,028 | 12,656 | 3,598 | 1,774 |
| 2022-23 | 18,076 | 7,902 | 4,852 | 5,322 |
| 2023-24 | 19,243 | 7,650 | 5,365 | 6,228 |
| 2024-25 | 19,212 | 7,447 | 4,848 | 6,917 |
| Average | 20,955 | 7,412 | 3,755 | 9,788 |
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