The student population at Western Kentucky University is 16,291 (14,151 undergraduate and 2,140 graduate students) . The number of students has decreased by 3,772 (18.80%) over the past decade.
- Class Level: The percentage of undergraduate students at WKU is 86.86% which is decreased by 3,159 over last 10 years. The graduate student population decreased by 613 and it has been decreasing.
- Gender Breakdown: In 2025, there were 61 male students for every 100 female students, down from 72 in 2015.
- 3,505 students enrolled in online degree program exclusively and the number of online students has increased by 25.54% since 2015.
Student Population Changes
The average student population over the last 11 years is 18,203 where 16,291 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 20,271 students in 2017 and was lowest at 16,291 in 2025. Overall, enrollment dropped from 20,063 to 16,291 students, a net loss of 3,772 (18.8%).
The following table and chart illustrate the changes in student population by gender at Western Kentucky University since 2015.
Undergraduate Enrollment Changes
The average number of Undergraduate students over the last 11 years is 15,868 where 14,151 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 Western Kentucky University since 2015.
Graduate Enrollment Changes
The average number of Graduate students over the last 11 years is 2,335 where 2,140 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 Western Kentucky University since 2015.
Enrollment by Race/Ethnicity Changes
The percentage of white students is 75.08%. The percentage was 75.96% 10 years ago and WKU still has a high percentage of white students. 3.37% of enrolled students is Asian and 8.56% is black students. Hispanic students comprise 6.23% of the student body.
Over the past 10 years, the racial composition has shifted. The percentage of white students decreased from 75.96% to 75.08%. Asian enrollment grew from 1.22% to 3.37%. Black student enrollment decreased from 8.90% to 8.56%. Hispanic student representation expanded from 2.96% to 6.23%.
The overall racial diversity, measured by the Census Bureau Diversity Index, is 0.4222 which indicates that somewhat diverse. This increased from 0.4134 a decade ago, suggesting that racial diversity has improved.
The following table and chart illustrate the student population trends by race/ethnicity at Western Kentucky University over the past 11 years (2015-2025).
Distance Learning (Online Courses) Enrollment Changes
3,505 students are enrolled in online degree programs exclusively for the academic year 2024-2025, which is 22% of total students. The number of online students has increased 25.54% since 2015. The following table and chart illustrate the changes in the online student population by enrolled type at Western Kentucky University from 2015 to 2025.