Southwestern College

Southwestern College  logo
#7227 / #1915
Global Influence / U.S. Influence
College in Chula Vista, California

Southwestern College at a Glance

U.S. influence rank
#1915
Tuition and fees (2025–26)
$1,356
Graduation rate
39%
Undergraduates (fall 2024)
18,614

Reviewed by , Vice President and Academic Editor. Influence ranks come from our InfluenceRanking™ methodology; other figures come from federal data, with the year shown under each section. Report an error

About Southwestern College

According to Wikipedia, Southwestern College is a public community college in Chula Vista, California founded in 1961. It is part of the Southwestern Community College District, itself a part of the California Community Colleges, and has an enrollment of 25,228 as of 2023 across all its campuses within San Diego County. It is accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges.

Southwestern College Admissions, Retention, and Graduation Information

Retention RateGraduation Rate
70%39%

Source: U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and NCES); acceptance rate for fall 2024; test scores for fall 2024; applications and enrollment for fall 2023; retention for students who started in fall 2023; graduation rate within six years for students who started in 2019.

How Much Does Southwestern College Cost To Attend?

Tuition and fees (in-state)
$1,356
Average Net Price by Family Income (2024–25)
IncomeAverage Net Cost
0 - 30K$4,530
30K - 48K$4,823
48K - 75K$6,065
75K - 110K$10,375
110K+$11,275

Source: U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and NCES); tuition and fees for 2025–26; net price for 2024–25, for first-time, full-time students receiving financial aid.

How Much Do Southwestern College Graduates Make?

Ten years after starting college, former Southwestern College students who received federal financial aid earn a median of $47,535 a year, and 86% of those not still in school are working.

Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard; students who started college in 2011–12 or 2012–13, measured in 2022 and 2023, in 2024 dollars.

Southwestern College 's Demographics

Students enrolled at any time during the 2023–24 school year, including part-time and online students.

Student BodyUnder-Grads
26,29526,295

Source: National Center for Education Statistics; 12-month enrollment for 2023–24.

Where is Southwestern College ?

Southwestern College is located at 900 Otay Lakes Rd., Chula Vista, CA 91910-7299.

How Safe is Southwestern College ?

Like every college that receives federal student aid, Southwestern College publishes an annual security report with its campus crime statistics and safety policies. Its figures can also be looked up in the U.S. Department of Education’s Campus Safety and Security database.

Relative to its enrollment, Southwestern College has a violent crime rate of less than 0.01% and a property crime rate of 0.03%. Chula Vista has a violent crime rate of 0.38% and a property (including theft) crime rate of 1.15%. Sources: campus: U.S. Department of Education Campus Safety and Security data, on-campus offenses in 2024 (violent: murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault; property: burglary, motor vehicle theft and arson, which excludes ordinary theft); city: FBI Crime Data Explorer, offenses reported to the city police in 2024.

What Is Southwestern College Known For?

Southwestern College is known for its academic work in the following disciplines:

Southwestern College 's Top Areas of Influence With Degrees Offered

Each rank compares how much Southwestern College 's faculty and alumni have shaped a field with other schools, using Wikipedia, Wikidata and scholarly citation databases such as Crossref and Semantic Scholar. World and U.S. ranks reflect modern influence; the historical rank counts influence across all time. How we rank influence

Criminal Justice
#1292
World Rank
#1297
Historical Rank
#689
USA Rank

Southwestern College ranks #689 in the U.S. and #1292 worldwide for influence in Criminal Justice.

criminal-justice Degrees
Sociology
#2665
World Rank
#2669
Historical Rank
#782
USA Rank

Southwestern College ranks #782 in the U.S. and #2665 worldwide for influence in Sociology.

sociology Degrees
Psychology
#2574
World Rank
#2587
Historical Rank
#981
USA Rank

Southwestern College ranks #981 in the U.S. and #2574 worldwide for influence in Psychology.

psychology Degrees
Medical
#4270
World Rank
#4271
Historical Rank
#1242
USA Rank

Southwestern College ranks #1242 in the U.S. and #4270 worldwide for influence in Medical.

medicine Degrees
Earth Sciences
#4544
World Rank
#4563
Historical Rank
#1249
USA Rank

Southwestern College ranks #1249 in the U.S. and #4544 worldwide for influence in Earth Sciences.

earth-science Degrees
Social Work
#3343
World Rank
#3343
Historical Rank
#1369
USA Rank

Southwestern College ranks #1369 in the U.S. and #3343 worldwide for influence in Social Work.

social-work Degrees
Economics
#6840
World Rank
#6845
Historical Rank
#1409
USA Rank

Southwestern College ranks #1409 in the U.S. and #6840 worldwide for influence in Economics.

economics Degrees
Mathematics
#5463
World Rank
#5486
Historical Rank
#1446
USA Rank

Southwestern College ranks #1446 in the U.S. and #5463 worldwide for influence in Mathematics.

math Degrees
History
#4683
World Rank
#4693
Historical Rank
#1461
USA Rank

Southwestern College ranks #1461 in the U.S. and #4683 worldwide for influence in History.

history Degrees
Physics
#5647
World Rank
#5663
Historical Rank
#1482
USA Rank

Southwestern College ranks #1482 in the U.S. and #5647 worldwide for influence in Physics.

physics Degrees
Communications
#5845
World Rank
#5864
Historical Rank
#1570
USA Rank

Southwestern College ranks #1570 in the U.S. and #5845 worldwide for influence in Communications.

communications Degrees
Literature
#5053
World Rank
#5085
Historical Rank
#1641
USA Rank

Southwestern College ranks #1641 in the U.S. and #5053 worldwide for influence in Literature.

literature Degrees
Chemistry
#6181
World Rank
#6187
Historical Rank
#1645
USA Rank

Southwestern College ranks #1645 in the U.S. and #6181 worldwide for influence in Chemistry.

chemistry Degrees
Business
#6067
World Rank
#6067
Historical Rank
#1685
USA Rank

Southwestern College ranks #1685 in the U.S. and #6067 worldwide for influence in Business.

business Degrees
Biology
#7018
World Rank
#7034
Historical Rank
#1737
USA Rank

Southwestern College ranks #1737 in the U.S. and #7018 worldwide for influence in Biology.

biology Degrees
Political Science
#7528
World Rank
#7535
Historical Rank
#1793
USA Rank

Southwestern College ranks #1793 in the U.S. and #7528 worldwide for influence in Political Science.

political-science Degrees
Computer Science
#7114
World Rank
#7122
Historical Rank
#1794
USA Rank

Southwestern College ranks #1794 in the U.S. and #7114 worldwide for influence in Computer Science.

computer-science Degrees
Law
#5917
World Rank
#5923
Historical Rank
#1799
USA Rank

Southwestern College ranks #1799 in the U.S. and #5917 worldwide for influence in Law.

Anthropology
#5180
World Rank
#5187
Historical Rank
#1804
USA Rank

Southwestern College ranks #1804 in the U.S. and #5180 worldwide for influence in Anthropology.

anthropology Degrees
Philosophy
#6264
World Rank
#6296
Historical Rank
#1874
USA Rank

Southwestern College ranks #1874 in the U.S. and #6264 worldwide for influence in Philosophy.

philosophy Degrees
Engineering
#9457
World Rank
#9462
Historical Rank
#2035
USA Rank

Southwestern College ranks #2035 in the U.S. and #9457 worldwide for influence in Engineering.

engineering Degrees
Education
#9937
World Rank
#9944
Historical Rank
#2708
USA Rank

Southwestern College ranks #2708 in the U.S. and #9937 worldwide for influence in Education.

education Degrees

Who Are Southwestern College 's Most Influential Alumni?

Southwestern College 's most influential alumni include professors and professionals in the fields of Criminal Justice, Psychology, and Sociology. Here are some of Southwestern College 's most famous alumni:

J. Michael Straczynski
J. Michael Straczynski
An American writer and filmmaker, born 1954.
John Fox
John Fox
An American football player and coach .
Julieta Venegas
An American musician.
Tom Waits
Tom Waits
An American singer-songwriter and actor .
Ogemdi Nwagbuo
An American football defensive lineman.