The student population at Essex County College is 7,026 (all undergraduate). The number of students has decreased by 3,928 (35.86%) over the past decade.
- Gender Breakdown: In 2025, there were 67 male students for every 100 female students, down from 71 in 2015.
- 706 students enrolled in online degree program exclusively and the number of online students has increased by 711.49% since 2015.
Student Population Changes
The average student population over the last 11 years is 7,717 where 7,026 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 10,954 students in 2016 and was lowest at 6,029 in 2022. Overall, enrollment dropped from 10,954 to 7,026 students, a net loss of 3,928 (35.9%).
The following table and chart illustrate the changes in student population by gender at Essex County College since 2015.
Enrollment by Race/Ethnicity Changes
The percentage of white students is 5.95% and the percentage of black students is 45.10% at Essex County College. 2.18% of enrolled students is Asian. Hispanic students comprise 29.46% of the student body.
Over the past 10 years, the racial composition has shifted. The percentage of white students decreased from 8.27% to 5.95%. Asian enrollment declined from 3.09% to 2.18%. Black student enrollment decreased from 48.92% to 45.10%. Hispanic student representation expanded from 25.62% to 29.46%.
The overall racial diversity, measured by the Census Bureau Diversity Index, is 0.7056 which indicates that quite diverse. This increased from 0.6872 a decade ago, suggesting that racial diversity has improved.
The following table and chart illustrate the student population trends by race/ethnicity at Essex County College over the past 11 years (2015-2025).
Distance Learning (Online Courses) Enrollment Changes
706 students are enrolled in online degree programs exclusively for the academic year 2024-2025, which is 10% of total students. The number of online students has increased 711.49% since 2015. The following table and chart illustrate the changes in the online student population by enrolled type at Essex County College from 2015 to 2025.