The student population at Northern Michigan University is 7,409 (6,684 undergraduate and 725 graduate students) . The number of students has decreased by 894 (10.77%) over the past decade.
- Class Level: The percentage of undergraduate students at Northern Michigan is 90.21% which is decreased by 823 over last 10 years. The graduate student population decreased by 71 and it has been decreasing.
- Gender Breakdown: In 2025, there were 61 male students for every 100 female students, down from 80 in 2015.
- 967 students enrolled in online degree program exclusively and the number of online students has increased by 151.17% since 2015.
Student Population Changes
The average student population over the last 11 years is 7,527 where 7,409 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 8,303 students in 2016 and was lowest at 6,970 in 2023. Overall, enrollment dropped from 8,303 to 7,409 students, a net loss of 894 (10.8%).
The following table and chart illustrate the changes in student population by gender at Northern Michigan University since 2015.
Undergraduate Enrollment Changes
The average number of Undergraduate students over the last 11 years is 6,897 where 6,684 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 Northern Michigan University since 2015.
Graduate Enrollment Changes
The average number of Graduate students over the last 11 years is 630 where 725 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 Northern Michigan University since 2015.
Enrollment by Race/Ethnicity Changes
The percentage of white students is 82.18%. The percentage was 84.29% 10 years ago and Northern Michigan still has a high percentage of white students. 0.66% of enrolled students is Asian and 2.29% is black students. Hispanic students comprise 4.24% of the student body.
Over the past 10 years, the racial composition has shifted. The percentage of white students decreased from 84.29% to 82.18%. Asian enrollment grew from 0.52% to 0.66%. Black student enrollment increased from 2.22% to 2.29%. Hispanic student representation expanded from 2.99% to 4.24%.
The overall racial diversity, measured by the Census Bureau Diversity Index, is 0.3203 which indicates that somewhat diverse. This increased from 0.2868 a decade ago, suggesting that racial diversity has improved.
The following table and chart illustrate the student population trends by race/ethnicity at Northern Michigan University over the past 11 years (2015-2025).
Distance Learning (Online Courses) Enrollment Changes
967 students are enrolled in online degree programs exclusively for the academic year 2024-2025, which is 13% of total students. The number of online students has increased 151.17% since 2015. The following table and chart illustrate the changes in the online student population by enrolled type at Northern Michigan University from 2015 to 2025.