SOWELA Technical Community College

3820 J Bennett Johnston Ave
Lake Charles, LA 70616-0000

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 34:1.
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 is Delta School of Business and Technology (3.20 miles away).

	SOWELA Technical Community College	(LA) Community College Avg.
Institution Level	At least 2 but less than 4 years	Four or more years
Institution Control	Public	Public
Total Faculty	102 staff	26 staff

The student population of 3,411 has grown by 11% over five years.
The student:teacher ratio of 33:1 has increased from 19:1 over five years.
The school's 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	34:1

# Full-Time Students	1,815 students	382 students

# Part-Time Students	1,596 students	1,111 students


% American Indian/Alaskan	1%	1%

% Asian	1%	1%

% Hispanic	2%	5%

% Black	23%	35%

% White	69%	45%

% Two or more races	1%	1%

% Unknown races	3%	11%

Diversity ScoreThe chance that two students selected at random would be members of a different ethnic group. Scored from 0 to 1, a diversity score closer to 1 indicates a more diverse student body.	0.47	0.66

College Completion Rate	37%	47%

Average Graduate Earnings (10 Years)	$35,800	$28,200

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	$10,800

Median Debt for Dropouts	$3,500	$5,125

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.