The student population at Ferris State University is 9,959 (8,991 undergraduate and 968 graduate students) . The number of students has decreased by 4,756 (32.32%) over the past decade.
- Class Level: The percentage of undergraduate students at Ferris State is 90.28% which is decreased by 4,357 over last 10 years. The graduate student population decreased by 399 and it has been decreasing.
- Gender Breakdown: In 2025, there were 79 male students for every 100 female students, down from 90 in 2015.
- 1,655 students enrolled in online degree program exclusively and the number of online students has increased by 17.96% since 2015.
Student Population Changes
The average student population over the last 11 years is 11,990 where 9,959 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 14,715 students in 2016 and was lowest at 9,918 in 2024. Overall, enrollment dropped from 14,715 to 9,959 students, a net loss of 4,756 (32.3%).
The following table and chart illustrate the changes in student population by gender at Ferris State University since 2015.
Undergraduate Enrollment Changes
The average number of Undergraduate students over the last 11 years is 10,791 where 8,991 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 Ferris State University since 2015.
Graduate Enrollment Changes
The average number of Graduate students over the last 11 years is 1,198 where 968 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 Ferris State University since 2015.
Enrollment by Race/Ethnicity Changes
The percentage of white students is 72.86%. The percentage was 76.72% 10 years ago and Ferris State still has a high percentage of white students. 1.82% of enrolled students is Asian and 9.49% is black students. Hispanic students comprise 6.61% of the student body.
Over the past 10 years, the racial composition has shifted. The percentage of white students decreased from 76.72% to 72.86%. Asian enrollment grew from 1.26% to 1.82%. Black student enrollment increased from 7.07% to 9.49%. Hispanic student representation expanded from 4.76% to 6.61%.
The overall racial diversity, measured by the Census Bureau Diversity Index, is 0.4547 which indicates that somewhat diverse. This increased from 0.4029 a decade ago, suggesting that racial diversity has improved.
The following table and chart illustrate the student population trends by race/ethnicity at Ferris State University over the past 11 years (2015-2025).
Distance Learning (Online Courses) Enrollment Changes
1,655 students are enrolled in online degree programs exclusively for the academic year 2024-2025, which is 17% of total students. The number of online students has increased 17.96% since 2015. The following table and chart illustrate the changes in the online student population by enrolled type at Ferris State University from 2015 to 2025.