The student population at Southwestern Illinois College is 8,492 (all undergraduate). The number of students has decreased by 1,451 (14.59%) over the past decade.
The average student population over the last 11 years is 8,342 where 8,492 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 9,943 students in 2016 and was lowest at 6,906 in 2021. Overall, enrollment dropped from 9,943 to 8,492 students, a net loss of 1,451 (14.6%).
The following table and chart illustrate the changes in student population by gender at Southwestern Illinois College since 2015.
| Year | Total | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015-16 | 9,943 | 4,420 | 5,523 |
| 2016-17 | 9,515 -428 | 4,395 -25 | 5,120 -403 |
| 2017-18 | 8,859 -656 | 4,001 -394 | 4,858 -262 |
| 2018-19 | 8,841 -18 | 3,943 -58 | 4,898 40 |
| 2019-20 | 8,508 -333 | 3,816 -127 | 4,692 -206 |
| 2020-21 | 6,906 -1,602 | 2,976 -840 | 3,930 -762 |
| 2021-22 | 7,213 307 | 3,148 172 | 4,065 135 |
| 2022-23 | 7,188 -25 | 3,141 -7 | 4,047 -18 |
| 2023-24 | 7,955 767 | 3,467 326 | 4,488 441 |
| 2024-25 | 8,492 537 | 3,701 234 | 4,791 303 |
| Average | 8,342 | 3,701 | 4,641 |
The percentage of white students is 58.08%. The percentage was 64.34% 10 years ago and SWIC still has a high percentage of white students. 1.15% of enrolled students is Asian and 21.26% is black students. Hispanic students comprise 8.44% of the student body.
Over the past 10 years, the racial composition has shifted. The percentage of white students decreased from 64.34% to 58.08%. Black student enrollment increased from 20.61% to 21.26%. Hispanic student representation expanded from 4.82% to 8.44%.
The overall racial diversity, measured by the Census Bureau Diversity Index, is 0.6067 which indicates that moderately diverse. This increased from 0.5390 a decade ago, suggesting that racial diversity has improved.
The following table and chart illustrate the student population trends by race/ethnicity at Southwestern Illinois 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 | 18 | 114 | 2,049 | 479 | 23 | 6,397 | 461 |
| 2016-17 | 24 | 100 | 1,841 | 488 | 16 | 6,184 | 457 |
| 2017-18 | 19 | 115 | 1,634 | 513 | 11 | 5,741 | 436 |
| 2018-19 | 18 | 125 | 1,660 | 541 | 11 | 5,600 | 472 |
| 2019-20 | 20 | 127 | 1,574 | 557 | 13 | 5,315 | 443 |
| 2020-21 | 17 | 98 | 1,233 | 461 | 10 | 4,382 | 357 |
| 2021-22 | 18 | 97 | 1,385 | 503 | 12 | 4,462 | 375 |
| 2022-23 | 13 | 96 | 1,479 | 516 | 9 | 4,263 | 407 |
| 2023-24 | 15 | 89 | 1,657 | 610 | 7 | 4,696 | 452 |
| 2024-25 | 20 | 98 | 1,805 | 717 | 9 | 4,932 | 509 |
| Average | 18 | 106 | 1,632 | 539 | 12 | 5,197 | 437 |
1,276 students are enrolled in online degree programs exclusively for the academic year 2024-2025, which is 15% of total students. The number of online students has increased 134.99% since 2015. The following table and chart illustrate the changes in the online student population by enrolled type at Southwestern Illinois College from 2015 to 2025.
| Year | Total Enrollment | Online Completely | Enrolled in Some Online Courses | Not Enrolled in Online Courses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015-16 | 9,943 | 543 | 1,613 | 7,787 |
| 2016-17 | 9,515 | 595 | 1,680 | 7,240 |
| 2017-18 | 8,859 | 608 | 1,742 | 6,509 |
| 2018-19 | 8,841 | 594 | 1,760 | 6,487 |
| 2019-20 | 8,508 | 655 | 1,747 | 6,106 |
| 2020-21 | 6,906 | 1,416 | 2,230 | 3,260 |
| 2021-22 | 7,213 | 1,357 | 1,853 | 4,003 |
| 2022-23 | 7,188 | 1,322 | 1,793 | 4,073 |
| 2023-24 | 7,955 | 1,219 | 1,984 | 4,752 |
| 2024-25 | 8,492 | 1,276 | 2,280 | 4,936 |
| Average | 8,342 | 959 | 1,868 | 5,515 |
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