Student Population Changes
The average student population over the last 11 years is 5,843 where 5,540 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 6,472 students in 2016 and was lowest at 5,342 in 2023. Overall, enrollment dropped from 6,472 to 5,540 students, a net loss of 932 (14.4%).
The following table and chart illustrate the changes in student population by gender at Iowa Western Community College since 2015.
Enrollment by Race/Ethnicity Changes
The percentage of white students is 60.99%. The percentage was 70.49% 10 years ago and Iowa Western CC still has a high percentage of white students. 1.55% of enrolled students is Asian and 7.45% is black students. Hispanic students comprise 9.49% of the student body.
Over the past 10 years, the racial composition has shifted. The percentage of white students decreased from 70.49% to 60.99%. Asian enrollment grew from 1.41% to 1.55%. Black student enrollment decreased from 9.33% to 7.45%. Hispanic student representation expanded from 6.43% to 9.49%.
The overall racial diversity, measured by the Census Bureau Diversity Index, is 0.6112 which indicates that moderately diverse. This increased from 0.4899 a decade ago, suggesting that racial diversity has improved.
The following table and chart illustrate the student population trends by race/ethnicity at Iowa Western Community College over the past 11 years (2015-2025).
Distance Learning (Online Courses) Enrollment Changes
1,633 students are enrolled in online degree programs exclusively for the academic year 2024-2025, which is 30% of total students. The number of online students has increased 57.78% since 2015. The following table and chart illustrate the changes in the online student population by enrolled type at Iowa Western Community College from 2015 to 2025.