Southwestern College
A good fit for families looking for lower cost and students who want a large campus community. graduation rate is below 40%. a public school with 18,614 students.
About This School
Southwestern College is a public institution located in Chula Vista, California with approximately 18,614 undergraduate students enrolled. The average net price after financial aid is $12,671 per year. The graduation rate is 34%, and the typical graduate earns $34,700 within 10 years of enrollment.
Southwestern College may refer to the following colleges in the United States:Southwestern College (California) Southwestern College (Kansas) Southwestern College Southwestern College of Business and New England Technical Institute, now part of Lincoln Tech Arizona Christian University, formerly Southwestern College
Worth considering if you're looking for an affordable path to a transfer or career credential — with median debt of just $4,044 at graduation, financial risk here is genuinely low. That said, the median earnings of $34,700 a decade out suggest most students end up in modest-paying fields, so be intentional about your program choice and have a clear plan, whether that's transferring to a four-year school or targeting a specific career track. For cost-conscious students in the San Diego area, this can be a smart starting point — just don't coast without a goal.
Popular Programs
Percentage of degrees awarded. Source: College Scorecard.
Notable Alumni
Source: Wikidata. Used for context only.
Admissions
SAT Scores
ACT Scores
Cost & Financial Aid
Net Price by Family Income
Average annual cost after grants/scholarships, by household income. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.
Financial Aid
Full Cost
After Graduation
Earnings 6 Years After Enrollment, by Gender
Gap: 11% less for female graduates. National avg ~16%.
What Each Major Actually Earns
Median earnings four years after graduation, by major, next to the national median for that same major at every college. The school-wide average hides this: at most schools the spread between the best- and worst-paying majors is far wider than the gap between schools.
Southwestern College graduates earn most above the national rate in Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing ($113,302 vs $80,813 nationally), and most below it in Communication and Media Studies ($37,303 vs $43,243).
| Major | Grads | Here | National | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | 280 | $51,082 | $48,733 | +$2,349 |
| Psychology, General | 199 | $41,995 | $39,288 | +$2,707 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities | 189 | $39,527 | $44,125 | −$4,598 |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections | 155 | $49,689 | $46,706 | +$2,983 |
| Sociology | 102 | $42,170 | $44,144 | −$1,974 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | 62 | $113,302 | $80,813 | +$32,489 |
| Communication and Media Studies | 39 | $37,303 | $43,243 | −$5,940 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness | 35 | $41,171 | $40,162 | +$1,009 |
| Dental Support Services and Allied Professions | 33 | $59,070 | $61,982 | −$2,912 |
| Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services | 32 | $33,801 | $34,184 | −$383 |
U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard field-of-study data. Median earnings of graduates working and not enrolled four years after completing an associate's degreehere. Majors with too few graduates to report are omitted for privacy, so this is not the school's full program list.
Will This School Pay Off?
Strong return. Graduates earn well above their debt load.
Earnings data from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard. These are means across all graduates, not specific to any major.
Student Body
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (18,614 undergraduates).
Contact & Location
Official Links
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See How Colleges Compare
Southwestern College is one of thousands of colleges in our data studies, each built from the same U.S. Department of Education data shown on this page. Compare schools head to head:
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does Southwestern College cost?
The average net price at Southwestern College is about $12,671 per year after grants and scholarships, based on federal data. Your actual cost depends on your family's finances and aid package.
What is the graduation rate at Southwestern College?
Southwestern College has a graduation rate of 34%, according to U.S. Department of Education data.
Sources & Methodology
Primary data source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard. Accessed via automated sync. Latest values may come from different reporting years depending on the metric.
School overview from Wikipedia. Used for context only, not as a primary data source for admissions, cost, or outcomes claims.
- Earnings figures are institution-level averages, not major-specific.
- Some metrics are based on Title IV financial aid recipients only.
- Some values may be privacy-suppressed or rolled up by the Department of Education.
- Contact the school directly for current admissions requirements and costs.
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