Student Population Changes
The average student population over the last 11 years is 5,062 where 5,426 students are attending the school for the academic year 2024-2025.
Total enrollment fluctuated between 2016 and 2025, with 5 year-over-year increases and 4 decreases. It peaked at 5,644 students in 2019 and was lowest at 4,377 in 2022. Overall, enrollment dropped from 5,453 to 5,426 students, a net loss of 27 (0.5%).
The following table and chart illustrate the changes in student population by gender at Gulf Coast State College since 2015.
Enrollment by Race/Ethnicity Changes
The percentage of white students is 66.94%. The percentage was 72.79% 10 years ago and GCSC still has a high percentage of white students. 3.21% of enrolled students is Asian and 10.95% is black students. Hispanic students comprise 9.44% of the student body.
Over the past 10 years, the racial composition has shifted. The percentage of white students decreased from 72.79% to 66.94%. Asian enrollment grew from 2.59% to 3.21%. Black student enrollment increased from 10.58% to 10.95%. Hispanic student representation expanded from 5.45% to 9.44%.
The overall racial diversity, measured by the Census Bureau Diversity Index, is 0.5266 which indicates that somewhat diverse. This increased from 0.4540 a decade ago, suggesting that racial diversity has improved.
The following table and chart illustrate the student population trends by race/ethnicity at Gulf Coast State College over the past 11 years (2015-2025).
Distance Learning (Online Courses) Enrollment Changes
1,270 students are enrolled in online degree programs exclusively for the academic year 2024-2025, which is 23% of total students. The number of online students has increased 43.99% since 2015. The following table and chart illustrate the changes in the online student population by enrolled type at Gulf Coast State College from 2015 to 2025.