The student population at Northwest Missouri State University is 9,152 (5,241 undergraduate and 3,911 graduate students) . The number of students has increased by 2,559 (38.81%) over the past decade.
- Class Level: The percentage of undergraduate students at Northwest Missouri State is 57.27% which is decreased by 377 over last 10 years. The graduate student population increased by 2,936 and it has been increasing.
- Gender Breakdown: In 2025, there were 55 male students for every 100 female students, down from 82 in 2015.
- 3,288 students enrolled in online degree program exclusively and the number of online students has increased by 914.81% since 2015.
Student Population Changes
The average student population over the last 11 years is 7,588 where 9,152 students are attending the school for the academic year 2024-2025.
Total enrollment fluctuated between 2016 and 2025, with 6 year-over-year increases and 3 decreases. It peaked at 9,664 students in 2024 and was lowest at 6,338 in 2018. Overall, enrollment rose from 6,593 to 9,152 students, a net gain of 2,559 (38.8%).
The following table and chart illustrate the changes in student population by gender at Northwest Missouri State University since 2015.
Undergraduate Enrollment Changes
The average number of Undergraduate students over the last 11 years is 5,502 where 5,241 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 Northwest Missouri State University since 2015.
Graduate Enrollment Changes
The average number of Graduate students over the last 11 years is 2,086 where 3,911 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 Northwest Missouri State University since 2015.
Enrollment by Race/Ethnicity Changes
The percentage of white students is 74.61%. The percentage was 72.93% 10 years ago and Northwest Missouri State still has a high percentage of white students. 1.01% of enrolled students is Asian and 4.35% is black students. Hispanic students comprise 4.34% of the student body.
Over the past 10 years, the racial composition has shifted. The percentage of white students increased from 72.93% to 74.61%. Asian enrollment grew from 0.59% to 1.01%. Black student enrollment decreased from 5.61% to 4.35%. Hispanic student representation expanded from 3.25% to 4.34%.
The overall racial diversity, measured by the Census Bureau Diversity Index, is 0.4384 which indicates that somewhat diverse. This decreased from 0.4632 a decade ago, suggesting that racial diversity has declined.
The following table and chart illustrate the student population trends by race/ethnicity at Northwest Missouri State University over the past 11 years (2015-2025).
Distance Learning (Online Courses) Enrollment Changes
3,288 students are enrolled in online degree programs exclusively for the academic year 2024-2025, which is 36% of total students. The number of online students has increased 914.81% since 2015. The following table and chart illustrate the changes in the online student population by enrolled type at Northwest Missouri State University from 2015 to 2025.