Public · Community college
Southwestern College
Chula Vista, California · Large city
- 7%
- Transfer rate
- $12,671
- Avg net price
- 36%
- Grad / completion
- $40,060
- Median earnings
Southwestern College is a public associate-granting institution in Chula Vista, California (large city setting), enrolling 18,614 undergraduates. It is a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI). Admission is open to all applicants.
About Chula Vista, California
Chula Vista is a city in San Diego County, California, United States. Fossils of aquatic life, in the form of a belemnitida from the Jurassic, have been found within the modern borders of Chula Vista. It is not until the Oligocene epoch that land life fossils have been found; although Eocene epoch fossils have been found in nearby Bonita. Chula Vista is home to OnStage Playhouse, the only live theater in South Bay, San Diego. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Large city
- Highest degree offered
- Associate
- Nearest big city
- 11 miles to San Diego, CA
- To the ocean
- 6 miles
- Nearest airport
- 13 miles to San Diego (SAN) · major hub
How Southwestern College compares
Higher than 20% · #328 of 382 in California
Higher than 43%
Higher than 69% · #134 of 326 in California
Cheaper than 59% · #125 cheapest of 377 in California
Lower than 98%
Lower than 9%
Larger than 99%
Percentiles compare Southwestern College with the nation's 3,519 two-year and certificate schools, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count two-year and certificate schools in California.
Student body
Undergraduates by gender
- Women10,50056%
- Men8,11444%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White14%
- Black5.2%
- Hispanic64%
- Asian9.5%
- Other or multiracial7.8%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 18,614
- Student–faculty ratio
- 26 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 36%
- First-generation students
- 57%
- Students over 25
- 32%
- Median family income
- $19,400
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $105,093
- Endowment
- $3,004,195
Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.
Where students come from
Home state of the 3,877 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.
- From California92%
- Other U.S. states8.2%
Most first-years stay in state — Southwestern College draws overwhelmingly from California.
Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.
Cost
- In-state tuition
- $1,344
- Out-of-state tuition
- $10,640
- Room & board
- —
- Books & supplies
- $1,210
- Total cost of attendance
- $22,104
- Average net price
- $12,671
Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.
Outcomes
- Graduated
- 36%
- First-year retention
- 70%
- Transferred to another college
- 7%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $33,970
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $40,060
- Median debt at graduation
- $4,500
- Students with federal loans
- 5%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 34%
Campus life & athletics
- On-campus housing
- No
- Application fee
- Free
- Athletics
- CCCAA
- Varsity athletes
- 344 (224 men · 120 women)
Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.
Varsity sports (11)
Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.
Campus safety
- Safety grade
- A
- Reported offenses per 1,000 students
- 0.5 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 1
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 30
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 5 campuses (20,986 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.
Reported offenses in an average year
The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.
By offense type, per year
Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.
What you'll actually pay, by family income
Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.
College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.
Does the school pay you to attend?
Southwestern College funds essentially no grants of its own — almost all aid here comes from federal (Pell), state, or outside sources rather than the school's own discount. Its sticker price is what it is.
Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid, 2022–23 full-time first-year undergraduates.
Is it worth it?
A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.
- Median earnings (10 years)
- $40,060
- Typical debt at graduation
- $4,500
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 11%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 39%
Typical debt would take roughly 1.1 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.
A reasonable return: earnings comfortably clear the debt over a few years for most students who finish.
Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.
The pay gap here
Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.
Men out-earn women by $9,465 (26%) a decade out.
Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.
Campus climate
- Summer high
- 81°F
- Winter low
- 44°F
- Annual rain
- 10.2″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, San Diego Brown Fld, CA US station (4.8 mi from campus).
What Southwestern College graduates study — and earn
Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.
Colleges similar to Southwestern College
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Southwestern College side by side →
Bakersfield College
Bakersfield, California · Large city · 4 mi to Bakersfield
- Students
- 17,280
- Tuition
- $1k
- Transfer
- 8%
- Earnings
- $37k
Los Angeles Valley College
Valley Glen, California · Large city · 13 mi to Los Angeles
- Students
- 12,601
- Tuition
- $1k
- Transfer
- 9%
- Earnings
- $43k
East Los Angeles College
Monterey Park, California · Large suburb · 5 mi to Los Angeles
- Students
- 27,753
- Tuition
- $1k
- Transfer
- 8%
- Earnings
- $42k
Los Angeles Pierce College
Woodland Hills, California · Large city · 21 mi to Los Angeles
- Students
- 13,436
- Tuition
- $1k
- Transfer
- 9%
- Earnings
- $45k
Rio Hondo College
Whittier, California · Fringe rural · 12 mi to Los Angeles
- Students
- 15,684
- Tuition
- $1k
- Transfer
- 4%
- Earnings
- $45k
College of the Desert
Palm Desert, California · Small city · 59 mi to Riverside
- Students
- 10,207
- Tuition
- $1k
- Transfer
- 5%
- Earnings
- $39k
Colleges near Southwestern College
UEI College-Chula Vista
Chula Vista, CA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 1,373 students
Bellus Academy-Chula Vista
Chula Vista, CA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 341 students
Pima Medical Institute-Chula Vista
Chula Vista, CA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 537 students
The Nurse Academy
National City, CA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 55 students
California Institute of Arts & Technology
National City, CA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 2,112 students
Riggins Urban Barber College
San Diego, CA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 85 students
Concorde Career College-San Diego
San Diego, CA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 147 students
Cuyamaca College
El Cajon, CA · Public · Associate · 7,177 students
Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.