SOWELA Technical Community College

3820 J Bennett Johnston Ave
Lake Charles, LA 70616

Tel: (337) 421-6565

The mission of SOWELA Technical Community College is to provide a lifelong learning and teaching environment designed to afford every student an equal opportunity to develop to his/her full potential. SOWELA Technical Community College is a public, comprehensive technical community college offering programs including associate degrees, diplomas and technical certificates as well as noncredit courses. The college is committed to accessible and affordable quality education, relevant training, and retraining by providing post-secondary academic and technical education to meet the educational advancement and workforce development needs of the community.

School Highlights

SOWELA Technical Community College serves 3,411 students (53% of students are full-time).
The college's student:teacher ratio of 33:1 is lower than the state community college average of 35:1.
Minority enrollment is 31% of the student body (majority Black), which is less than the state average of 55%.
SOWELA Technical Community College is one of 2 community colleges within Calcasieu County, LA.
The nearest community college to SOWELA Technical Community College is Delta School of Business and Technology (7.1 miles away).

Top Placements

SOWELA Technical Community College places among the top 20% of community colleges in Louisiana for:

The teacher population of 102 teachers has stayed relatively flat over five years.

	SOWELA Technical Community College	(LA) Community College Avg.
Carnegie Classification	Baccalaureate / Associates Colleges	Baccalaureate / Associates Colleges
Institution Level	Less than 2 yrs	Four or more years
Institution Control	Public	Public
Total Faculty	102 staff	26 staff

The student population of SOWELA Technical Community College has stayed relatively flat over five years.
The student:teacher ratio of 33:1 has stayed the same over five years.
The SOWELA Technical Community College diversity score of 0.47 is less than the state average of 0.66. The school's diversity has stayed relatively flat over five years.

Total Enrollment	3,411 students	1,493 students
Student:Teacher Ratio	33:1	35:1
# Full-Time Students	1,815 students	382 students
# Part-Time Students	1,596 students	1,111 students
% American Indian/Alaskan	1%	1%

% Asian	1%	2%

% Hispanic	2%	6%

% Black	23%	35%

% White	69%	45%

% Two or more races	1%	1%

% Unknown races	3%	9%
Diversity Score	0.47	0.66

College Completion Rate	37%	47%

Average Graduate Earnings (10 Years)	$35,800	$30,100

The public in-state tuition of $3,662 is more than the state average of $3,474. The in-state tuition has grown by 40% over four years.
The public out-state tuition of $6,590 is more than the state average of $6,533. The out-state tuition has grown by 46% over four years.

In-State Tuition Fees	$3,662	$3,474
Out-State Tuition Fees	$6,590	$6,533
% Students Receiving Some Financial Aid	82%	89%

Median Debt for Graduates	$3,750	$9,994

Median Debt for Dropouts	$3,500	$5,500

Source: 2016 (or latest year available) IPEDS

SOWELA Technical Community College was created in 1938 by the Louisiana Legislature as The Southwest Louisiana Trades School of Lake Charles, Louisiana. While it has had a variety of names over the past, its mission has always been the same: to provide opportunities for people to qualify for jobs which will lead to meaningful and productive careers. If you wish to earn a degree or diploma in a program of study, or if you only want to take a few classes to learn a specific skill or to upgrade existing skills, SOWELA is here to assist you. If you want to enrich your life by learning something that you've always wanted to know to specialize in a particular kind of culinary art, for example we can help you do that. SOWELA's small class sizes, affordable tuition, highly qualified faculty, convenient class times, beautiful campus, and a wide variety of student services combine to make it the right choice for many people. At SOWELA, you will see state-of-the-art curricula, facilities and equipment. Our campus is conveniently located to most regions of Southwest Louisiana, and our online courses can help you juggle the busy lifestyles of today.

The nearest community college to SOWELA Technical Community College is Delta School of Business and Technology (7.1 miles away).

Related School Videos

Related School News

SOWELA Technical Community College Announces Fall Semester Plans
posted on July 20, 2020 at 07:11:00 pm
SOWELA Technical Community College will begin the Fall 2020 semester next month with a variety of offerings for students. The ...
Local community college professor named SBEA Post-Secondary Teacher of the Year
posted on November 8, 2019 at 12:10:00 am
SOWELA Technical Community College provides traditional and distance learning for students pursuing associate degrees, ...
Sowela ranks 11th among community colleges
posted on August 31, 2019 at 07:06:00 pm
Sowela Technical Community College is the 11th best community college in the nation, according to a 2019 Best and Worst ...

Did You Know?

For Louisiana public community colleges, the average tuition is approximately $3,474 per year for in-state students and $6,533 for out-of-state students. For private community colleges, the average yearly tuition is approximately $12,875 per year. Read more about average community college tuition costs across the country.

The average community college acceptance rate in Louisiana is 87%. Read more about national community college acceptance rates.

Louisiana community colleges have a diversity score of 0.66, which is higher than the national average of 0.65. The most diverse community college in Louisiana is Delgado Community College. Read more about community college diversity statistics in the USA.