The student population at Southwestern Illinois College is 8,492 (all undergraduate). The number of students has decreased by 1,451 (14.59%) over the past decade.
- Gender Breakdown: In 2025, there were 77 male students for every 100 female students, down from 80 in 2015.
- 1,276 students enrolled in online degree program exclusively and the number of online students has increased by 134.99% since 2015.
Student Population Changes
The average student population over the last 11 years is 8,342 where 8,492 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 9,943 students in 2016 and was lowest at 6,906 in 2021. Overall, enrollment dropped from 9,943 to 8,492 students, a net loss of 1,451 (14.6%).
The following table and chart illustrate the changes in student population by gender at Southwestern Illinois College since 2015.
Enrollment by Race/Ethnicity Changes
The percentage of white students is 58.08%. The percentage was 64.34% 10 years ago and SWIC still has a high percentage of white students. 1.15% of enrolled students is Asian and 21.26% is black students. Hispanic students comprise 8.44% of the student body.
Over the past 10 years, the racial composition has shifted. The percentage of white students decreased from 64.34% to 58.08%. Black student enrollment increased from 20.61% to 21.26%. Hispanic student representation expanded from 4.82% to 8.44%.
The overall racial diversity, measured by the Census Bureau Diversity Index, is 0.6067 which indicates that moderately diverse. This increased from 0.5390 a decade ago, suggesting that racial diversity has improved.
The following table and chart illustrate the student population trends by race/ethnicity at Southwestern Illinois College over the past 11 years (2015-2025).
Distance Learning (Online Courses) Enrollment Changes
1,276 students are enrolled in online degree programs exclusively for the academic year 2024-2025, which is 15% of total students. The number of online students has increased 134.99% since 2015. The following table and chart illustrate the changes in the online student population by enrolled type at Southwestern Illinois College from 2015 to 2025.