The student population at Santa Barbara City College is 12,334 (all undergraduate). The number of students has decreased by 5,586 (31.17%) over the past decade.
The average student population over the last 11 years is 14,235 where 12,334 students are attending the school for the academic year 2024-2025.
Total enrollment fluctuated between 2016 and 2025, with 1 year-over-year increase and 8 decreases. It peaked at 17,920 students in 2016 and was lowest at 12,334 in 2025. Overall, enrollment dropped from 17,920 to 12,334 students, a net loss of 5,586 (31.2%).
The following table and chart illustrate the changes in student population by gender at Santa Barbara City College since 2015.
| Year | Total | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015-16 | 17,920 | 8,388 | 9,532 |
| 2016-17 | 16,642 -1,278 | 7,781 -607 | 8,861 -671 |
| 2017-18 | 16,385 -257 | 7,713 -68 | 8,672 -189 |
| 2018-19 | 14,646 -1,739 | 6,742 -971 | 7,904 -768 |
| 2019-20 | 14,133 -513 | 6,377 -365 | 7,756 -148 |
| 2020-21 | 12,525 -1,608 | 5,304 -1,073 | 7,221 -535 |
| 2021-22 | 12,746 221 | 5,476 172 | 7,270 49 |
| 2022-23 | 12,675 -71 | 5,606 130 | 7,069 -201 |
| 2023-24 | 12,345 -330 | 5,608 2 | 6,737 -332 |
| 2024-25 | 12,334 -11 | 5,573 -35 | 6,761 24 |
| Average | 14,235 | 6,457 | 7,778 |
The percentage of white students is 37.24% and the percentage of black students is 2.34% at Santa Barbara City College. 4.57% of enrolled students is Asian. Hispanic students comprise 36.22% of the student body.
Over the past 10 years, the racial composition has shifted. The percentage of white students decreased from 40.17% to 37.24%. Asian enrollment declined from 4.88% to 4.57%. Black student enrollment decreased from 3.58% to 2.34%. Hispanic student representation expanded from 34.06% to 36.22%.
The overall racial diversity, measured by the Census Bureau Diversity Index, is 0.7244 which indicates that quite diverse. This increased from 0.7165 a decade ago, suggesting that racial diversity has improved.
The following table and chart illustrate the student population trends by race/ethnicity at Santa Barbara City 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 | 58 | 875 | 641 | 6,103 | 32 | 7,199 | 890 |
| 2016-17 | 53 | 834 | 575 | 5,778 | 34 | 6,582 | 782 |
| 2017-18 | 61 | 837 | 482 | 5,742 | 23 | 6,304 | 785 |
| 2018-19 | 47 | 757 | 415 | 5,373 | 24 | 5,706 | 720 |
| 2019-20 | 55 | 644 | 363 | 5,360 | 30 | 4,807 | 646 |
| 2020-21 | 42 | 638 | 347 | 4,715 | 30 | 4,827 | 655 |
| 2021-22 | 34 | 592 | 296 | 4,515 | 25 | 4,932 | 688 |
| 2022-23 | 22 | 561 | 293 | 4,391 | 35 | 4,961 | 724 |
| 2023-24 | 26 | 553 | 279 | 4,513 | 30 | 4,579 | 664 |
| 2024-25 | 26 | 564 | 288 | 4,467 | 30 | 4,593 | 690 |
| Average | 42 | 686 | 398 | 5,096 | 29 | 5,449 | 724 |
3,733 students are enrolled in online degree programs exclusively for the academic year 2024-2025, which is 30% of total students. The number of online students has increased 47.49% since 2015. The following table and chart illustrate the changes in the online student population by enrolled type at Santa Barbara City College from 2015 to 2025.
| Year | Total Enrollment | Online Completely | Enrolled in Some Online Courses | Not Enrolled in Online Courses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015-16 | 17,920 | 2,531 | 3,331 | 12,058 |
| 2016-17 | 16,642 | 2,543 | 3,103 | 10,996 |
| 2017-18 | 16,385 | 2,350 | 3,352 | 10,683 |
| 2018-19 | 14,646 | 2,353 | 3,323 | 8,970 |
| 2019-20 | 14,133 | 2,432 | 3,575 | 8,126 |
| 2020-21 | 12,525 | 2,564 | 4,816 | 5,145 |
| 2021-22 | 12,746 | 5,498 | 4,755 | 2,493 |
| 2022-23 | 12,675 | 4,199 | 4,900 | 3,576 |
| 2023-24 | 12,345 | 3,826 | 4,919 | 3,600 |
| 2024-25 | 12,334 | 3,733 | 4,758 | 3,843 |
| Average | 14,235 | 3,203 | 4,083 | 6,949 |
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