The student population at East Central University is 3,377 (2,644 undergraduate and 733 graduate students) . The number of students has decreased by 1,067 (24.01%) over the past decade.
- Class Level: The percentage of undergraduate students at ECU is 78.29% which is decreased by 1,038 over last 10 years. The graduate student population decreased by 29 and it has been decreasing.
- Gender Breakdown: In 2025, there were 61 male students for every 100 female students, down from 66 in 2015.
- 1,056 students enrolled in online degree program exclusively and the number of online students has increased by 71.71% since 2015.
Student Population Changes
The average student population over the last 11 years is 3,642 where 3,377 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 4,444 students in 2016 and was lowest at 3,200 in 2024. Overall, enrollment dropped from 4,444 to 3,377 students, a net loss of 1,067 (24%).
The following table and chart illustrate the changes in student population by gender at East Central University since 2015.
Undergraduate Enrollment Changes
The average number of Undergraduate students over the last 11 years is 2,960 where 2,644 students are attending the Undergraduate school for the academic year 2024-2025. The following table and chart illustrate the changes in Undergraduate enrollment by attending status and gender at East Central University since 2015.
Graduate Enrollment Changes
The average number of Graduate students over the last 11 years is 683 where 733 students are attending the Graduate school for the academic year 2024-2025. The following table and chart illustrate the changes in Graduate enrollment by attending status and gender at East Central University since 2015.
Enrollment by Race/Ethnicity Changes
The percentage of white students is 49.45% and the percentage of black students is 6.22% at East Central University. 0.65% of enrolled students is Asian. Hispanic students comprise 8.56% of the student body.
Over the past 10 years, the racial composition has shifted. The percentage of white students decreased from 57.40% to 49.45%. Asian enrollment grew from 0.36% to 0.65%. Black student enrollment increased from 3.35% to 6.22%. Hispanic student representation expanded from 4.88% to 8.56%.
The overall racial diversity, measured by the Census Bureau Diversity Index, is 0.7164 which indicates that quite diverse. This increased from 0.6393 a decade ago, suggesting that racial diversity has improved.
The following table and chart illustrate the student population trends by race/ethnicity at East Central University over the past 11 years (2015-2025).
Distance Learning (Online Courses) Enrollment Changes
1,056 students are enrolled in online degree programs exclusively for the academic year 2024-2025, which is 31% of total students. The number of online students has increased 71.71% since 2015. The following table and chart illustrate the changes in the online student population by enrolled type at East Central University from 2015 to 2025.