Student Population Changes
The average student population over the last 11 years is 6,749 where 7,022 students are attending the school for the academic year 2024-2025.
Total enrollment fluctuated between 2016 and 2025, with 7 year-over-year increases and 2 decreases. It peaked at 7,453 students in 2019 and was lowest at 6,261 in 2021. Overall, enrollment rose from 6,647 to 7,022 students, a net gain of 375 (5.6%).
The following table and chart illustrate the changes in student population by gender at Merritt College since 2015.
Enrollment by Race/Ethnicity Changes
The percentage of white students is 16.48% and the percentage of black students is 22.64% at Merritt College. 15.59% of enrolled students is Asian. Hispanic students comprise 33.77% of the student body.
Over the past 10 years, the racial composition has shifted. The percentage of white students decreased from 16.91% to 16.48%. Asian enrollment grew from 14.53% to 15.59%. Black student enrollment decreased from 28.99% to 22.64%. Hispanic student representation expanded from 26.90% to 33.77%.
The overall racial diversity, measured by the Census Bureau Diversity Index, is 0.7793 which indicates that quite diverse. This decreased from 0.7917 a decade ago, suggesting that racial diversity has declined.
The following table and chart illustrate the student population trends by race/ethnicity at Merritt College over the past 11 years (2015-2025).
Distance Learning (Online Courses) Enrollment Changes
3,355 students are enrolled in online degree programs exclusively for the academic year 2024-2025, which is 48% of total students. The number of online students has increased 279.52% since 2015. The following table and chart illustrate the changes in the online student population by enrolled type at Merritt College from 2015 to 2025.