Public · Community college
SOWELA Technical Community College
Lake Charles, Louisiana · Small city
- 10%
- Transfer rate
- $7,525
- Avg net price
- 43%
- Grad / completion
- $32,303
- Median earnings
SOWELA Technical Community College is a public certificate-granting institution in Lake Charles, Louisiana (small city setting), enrolling 2,966 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.
About Lake Charles, Louisiana
Lake Charles is the fifth-most populous city in the U.S. state of Louisiana, and the parish seat of Calcasieu Parish, located on the namesake lake, Prien Lake, and the Calcasieu River. The Great Fire of April 1910 devastated much of the city. Lake Charles has a Creole and Cajun culture because of its location in Southwest Louisiana—an extension of Acadiana. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Small city
- Highest degree offered
- Associate
- Nearest big city
- 68 miles to Lafayette, LA
- To the ocean
- 31 miles
- Nearest airport
- 7 miles to Lake Charles (LCH)
How SOWELA Technical Community College compares
Higher than 29% · #53 of 73 in Louisiana
Higher than 22%
Higher than 40% · #18 of 61 in Louisiana
Cheaper than 80% · #7 cheapest of 71 in Louisiana
Lower than 35%
Larger than 86%
Percentiles compare SOWELA Technical Community 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 Louisiana.
Student body
Undergraduates by gender
- Women1,71958%
- Men1,24742%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White63%
- Black23%
- Hispanic5.5%
- Asian0.9%
- Other or multiracial7.0%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 2,966
- Student–faculty ratio
- 19 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 46%
- First-generation students
- 51%
- Students over 25
- 30%
- Median family income
- $17,038
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $54,459
- Endowment
- $2,531,588
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 713 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.
- From Louisiana97%
- Other U.S. states1.8%
- International1.0%
Most first-years stay in state — SOWELA Technical Community College draws overwhelmingly from Louisiana.
1% came from outside the U.S. 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
- $4,305
- Room & board
- —
- Books & supplies
- $1,353
- Total cost of attendance
- $15,578
- Average net price
- $7,525
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
- 43%
- First-year retention
- 59%
- Transferred to another college
- 10%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $32,044
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $32,303
- Median debt at graduation
- —
- Students with federal loans
- 0%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 56%
Graduating on time
By student background (4 years)
When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.
Campus life & athletics
- On-campus housing
- No
- Application fee
- Free
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%.
Campus safety
- Safety grade
- A
- Reported offenses per 1,000 students
- 0.0 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 0
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 0
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 3 campuses (3,446 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.
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?
Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.
Modest institutional aid: 21% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $1,521. Most of what lowers the price here is federal or state money, not the school's own funds.
Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 458 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.
Is it worth it?
A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.
- Median earnings (10 years)
- $32,303
- Typical debt at graduation
- —
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- —
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 51%
The payoff is less clear-cut here — weigh the debt against the earnings and your intended field before borrowing heavily.
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 $11,318 (40%) 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
- 93°F
- Winter low
- 43°F
- Annual rain
- 59.8″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Lake Charles, LA US station (7.1 mi from campus).
What SOWELA Technical Community 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 SOWELA Technical Community College
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare SOWELA Technical Community College side by side →
Louisiana Delta Community College
Monroe, Louisiana · Small city · 100 mi to Shreveport
- Students
- 3,057
- Tuition
- $4k
- Transfer
- 12%
- Earnings
- $30k
Fletcher Technical Community College
Schriever, Louisiana · Fringe rural · 48 mi to New Orleans
- Students
- 2,136
- Tuition
- $4k
- Transfer
- 9%
- Earnings
- $32k
Northshore Technical Community College
Lacombe, Louisiana · Fringe rural · 31 mi to New Orleans
- Students
- 2,505
- Tuition
- $4k
- Transfer
- 7%
- Earnings
- $30k
Southern University at Shreveport
Shreveport, Louisiana · Midsize city · 5 mi to Shreveport
- Students
- 1,910
- Tuition
- $5k
- Transfer
- 12%
- Earnings
- $33k
Bossier Parish Community College
Bossier City, Louisiana · Small city · 6 mi to Shreveport
- Students
- 4,935
- Tuition
- $4k
- Transfer
- 19%
- Earnings
- $35k
Louisiana State University-Eunice
Eunice, Louisiana · Distant town · 30 mi to Lafayette
- Students
- 2,826
- Tuition
- $5k
- Transfer
- 69%
- Earnings
- $36k
Colleges near SOWELA Technical Community College
Delta College West
Lake Charles, LA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 78 students
Stage One-The Hair School
Lake Charles, LA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 66 students
McNeese State University
Lake Charles, LA · Public · Bachelor's · 5,005 students
Lamar State College-Orange
Orange, TX · Public · Certificate · 1,391 students
Louisiana State University-Eunice
Eunice, LA · Public · Associate · 2,826 students
Lamar State College-Port Arthur
Port Arthur, TX · Public · Certificate · 1,508 students
Lamar University
Beaumont, TX · Public · Bachelor's · 8,150 students
Lamar Institute of Technology
Beaumont, TX · Public · Certificate · 3,055 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.