The student population at College of the Desert is 12,861 (all undergraduate). The number of students has increased by 2,395 (22.88%) over the past decade.
- Gender Breakdown: In 2025, there were 77 male students for every 100 female students, down from 84 in 2015.
- 4,122 students enrolled in online degree program exclusively and the number of online students has increased by 749.90% since 2015.
Student Population Changes
The average student population over the last 11 years is 11,090 where 12,861 students are attending the school for the academic year 2024-2025.
Total enrollment fluctuated between 2016 and 2025, with 7 year-over-year increases and 2 decreases. It peaked at 12,861 students in 2025 and was lowest at 10,229 in 2022. Overall, enrollment rose from 10,466 to 12,861 students, a net gain of 2,395 (22.9%).
The following table and chart illustrate the changes in student population by gender at College of the Desert since 2015.
Enrollment by Race/Ethnicity Changes
The percentage of white students is 14.70% and the percentage of black students is 2.38% at College of the Desert. 2.65% of enrolled students is Asian. Hispanic students comprise 73.94% of the student body.
Over the past 10 years, the racial composition has shifted. The percentage of white students decreased from 19.64% to 14.70%. Asian enrollment declined from 3.20% to 2.65%. Black student enrollment decreased from 2.85% to 2.38%. Hispanic student representation expanded from 68.28% to 73.94%.
The overall racial diversity, measured by the Census Bureau Diversity Index, is 0.4298 which indicates that somewhat diverse. This decreased from 0.4927 a decade ago, suggesting that racial diversity has declined.
The following table and chart illustrate the student population trends by race/ethnicity at College of the Desert over the past 11 years (2015-2025).
Distance Learning (Online Courses) Enrollment Changes
4,122 students are enrolled in online degree programs exclusively for the academic year 2024-2025, which is 32% of total students. The number of online students has increased 749.90% since 2015. The following table and chart illustrate the changes in the online student population by enrolled type at College of the Desert from 2015 to 2025.