Student Population Changes
The average student population over the last 11 years is 3,751 where 4,665 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 4,665 students in 2025 and was lowest at 3,360 in 2021. Overall, enrollment rose from 3,700 to 4,665 students, a net gain of 965 (26.1%).
The following table and chart illustrate the changes in student population by gender at Northwest Shoals Community College since 2015.
Enrollment by Race/Ethnicity Changes
The percentage of white students is 71.62%. The percentage was 79.51% 10 years ago and Northwest Shoals CC still has a high percentage of white students. 0.69% of enrolled students is Asian and 8.10% is black students. Hispanic students comprise 12.05% of the student body.
Over the past 10 years, the racial composition has shifted. The percentage of white students decreased from 79.51% to 71.62%. Asian enrollment grew from 0.38% to 0.69%. Black student enrollment decreased from 11.86% to 8.10%. Hispanic student representation expanded from 3.97% to 12.05%.
The overall racial diversity, measured by the Census Bureau Diversity Index, is 0.4628 which indicates that somewhat diverse. This increased from 0.3520 a decade ago, suggesting that racial diversity has improved.
The following table and chart illustrate the student population trends by race/ethnicity at Northwest Shoals Community College over the past 11 years (2015-2025).
Distance Learning (Online Courses) Enrollment Changes
1,094 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 521.59% since 2015. The following table and chart illustrate the changes in the online student population by enrolled type at Northwest Shoals Community College from 2015 to 2025.