The student population at Wayne State University is 23,803 (16,012 undergraduate and 7,791 graduate students) . The number of students has decreased by 3,337 (12.30%) over the past decade.
- Class Level: The percentage of undergraduate students at WSU is 67.27% which is decreased by 1,575 over last 10 years. The graduate student population decreased by 1,762 and it has been decreasing.
- Gender Breakdown: In 2025, there were 67 male students for every 100 female students, down from 81 in 2015.
- 3,013 students enrolled in online degree program exclusively and the number of online students has increased by 118.33% since 2015.
Student Population Changes
The average student population over the last 11 years is 25,744 where 23,803 students are attending the school for the academic year 2024-2025.
Total enrollment fluctuated between 2016 and 2025, with 2 year-over-year increases and 7 decreases. It peaked at 27,238 students in 2017 and was lowest at 23,553 in 2024. Overall, enrollment dropped from 27,140 to 23,803 students, a net loss of 3,337 (12.3%).
The following table and chart illustrate the changes in student population by gender at Wayne State University since 2015.
Undergraduate Enrollment Changes
The average number of Undergraduate students over the last 11 years is 16,975 where 16,012 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 Wayne State University since 2015.
Graduate Enrollment Changes
The average number of Graduate students over the last 11 years is 8,769 where 7,791 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 Wayne State University since 2015.
Enrollment by Race/Ethnicity Changes
The percentage of white students is 53.19%. The percentage was 55.34% 10 years ago and WSU still has a high percentage of white students. 12.10% of enrolled students is Asian and 16.88% is black students. Hispanic students comprise 7.28% of the student body.
Over the past 10 years, the racial composition has shifted. The percentage of white students decreased from 55.34% to 53.19%. Asian enrollment grew from 7.46% to 12.10%. Black student enrollment increased from 16.43% to 16.88%. Hispanic student representation expanded from 3.89% to 7.28%.
The overall racial diversity, measured by the Census Bureau Diversity Index, is 0.6668 which indicates that moderately diverse. This increased from 0.6588 a decade ago, suggesting that racial diversity has improved.
The following table and chart illustrate the student population trends by race/ethnicity at Wayne State University over the past 11 years (2015-2025).
Distance Learning (Online Courses) Enrollment Changes
3,013 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 118.33% since 2015. The following table and chart illustrate the changes in the online student population by enrolled type at Wayne State University from 2015 to 2025.