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Southwest Texas College

Public Associate Good 61/100

Southwest Texas College

See admissions data, costs, student outcomes, and academic programs, all verified from official US government sources.

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Uvalde, Texas

About Southwest Texas College

Thinking about Southwest Texas College, a college in Texas where more students graduate in Liberal Arts than anything else? The four things worth knowing are what it actually costs after aid, whether you would get in, whether students finish, and what they earn after they do.

Southwest Texas College is a public institution offering associate degrees based in Uvalde, Texas. It enrolls 3,306 students (a mid-sized student body), according to IPEDS 2023-24 data. Every figure on this page is reported by the federal government, not supplied by the college, so it can be compared like for like against anywhere else you are looking.

Official website: swtxc.edu

Acceptance: Open
Graduation: 28.8%
Net Price: $7,372
Median Earnings (10yr): $35,563
Enrollment: 3,306
Student : Faculty: 27:1

Accreditor Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Academic Calendar Semester

How It Measures Up

These four scores answer one question: compared with similar colleges, is this one worth the money? Each runs 0 to 100 and is judged only against its peer group (2-Year), so a community college is never marked down for not being Harvard. Everything is computed from federal data. Nobody can pay to move a score, and a pillar with missing data is left unscored rather than guessed.

Good

61/100

UCD Score · 2-Year

Outcomes 23

Value 65

Affordability 56

Selectivity —

Admissions & Acceptance Rate

As a two-year college, Southwest Texas College admits essentially everyone who qualifies, so plan around cost and completion instead of your odds of getting in.

Acceptance Rate

Open

SAT Range (25th–75th)

—

Not reported

ACT Range (25th–75th)

—

Not reported

Cost & Financial Aid

Ignore the sticker price. What matters is the net price, which is what a typical family pays here after grants and scholarships come off. At $7,372 a year on average, it sits well below what public colleges charge nationally. At that level cost is rarely the reason to rule a college out. Figures are College Scorecard 2023-24.

The average hides a wide spread by household income, so it is worth estimating what a family at your income would actually pay before treating this as the price.

Average Net Price

$7,372

Per year, after typical aid

Receive Pell Grants

33%

Need-based federal aid

Receive Federal Loans

Borrowing to attend

Full Cost Breakdown

Published cost of attendance, the sticker price before grants and scholarships. Most students underestimate room & board and other expenses.

Tuition & Fees (in-state): $2,646
Tuition & Fees (out-of-state): $6,294
Room & Board (on-campus): $6,400
Room & Board (off-campus): $6,291
Books & Supplies: $1,929
Other Expenses (on-campus): $5,787
Other Expenses (off-campus): $5,787
Total Cost of Attendance: $13,554

Net Price by Family Income

Aid is need-based, so net price varies by family income. Here's what each bracket typically pays after grants and scholarships.

Under $30,000

$6,668
$30,001 – $48,000

$7,044
$48,001 – $75,000

$8,976
$75,001 – $110,000

$11,052
Over $110,000

$13,554

Debt at Graduation

Cumulative federal-loan debt across the full borrowing distribution. The 10th and 90th percentiles bracket the typical range; the median sits in the middle.

$1,500

10% percentile

$2,382

25% percentile

$6,200

Median percentile

$7,750

75% percentile

$14,755

90% percentile

Median Debt by Student Type

Median federal-loan debt at graduation broken down by demographic. Each slice's size is proportional to the dollar amount that group typically borrows.

GroupDebtvs Median

Pell recipients $6,500 ↑ $300

No Pell $5,000 ↓ $1,200

Dependent students $5,500 ↓ $700

Independent students $9,500 ↑ $3,300

Female students $7,400 ↑ $1,200

Male students $5,000 ↓ $1,200

Worth knowing: Students who don't finish leave with a median debt of $5,500, close to what completers borrow ($6,200) but without the degree to show for it.

Graduation Rate & Retention

29% of students who start here finish within six years, and 60% come back after first year. Most students who start here do not finish. That is the single most important number on this page. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.

Completion and earnings carry the most weight in this college's score, and how the UCD Score weighs each measure sets out exactly how they are combined.

6-Year Graduation Rate

29%

Of students who graduate within six years

First-Year Retention

60%

Returning for their second year

What this means: Lower than typical completion. Worth asking the school how they support students who fall behind.

After Graduation: Earnings & Outcomes

Ten years after starting here, the median student earns $35,563 a year, close to the national median. Typical for most colleges, so what you study will matter more than where. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.

Median Earnings (10 yrs)

$35,563

Earning > $25K

58%

10 yrs after entry

Earnings Growth After Graduation

Median annual earnings 6, 8, and 10 years after students first enrolled.

Earnings by Demographic

Mean annual earnings 10 years after entry, segmented by demographic. Reveals gaps the headline median can't show.

By Gender

Female graduates

$26,300

Median earnings for female grads ten years after first enrolling here.

Male graduates

$45,200

Median earnings for male grads ten years after first enrolling here.

By Family Income at Entry

Family income (lowest third)

$31,900

Earnings of grads from the bottom-third of family incomes at entry.

Family income (middle third)

$37,300

Earnings of grads from the middle-third of family incomes at entry.

Family income (highest third)

$50,100

Earnings of grads from the top-third of family incomes at entry.

The gender gap: Male graduates earn $18,900, about 42% more than female graduates ten years out. The gap reflects industry mix, role choice, and structural pay differences that exist across most US colleges.

Loan Repayment Progression

Share of completer-cohort borrowers paying down at least $1 of principal at the 1-, 3-, 5-, and 7-year mark. Climbing rates show graduates settling into careers and managing debt; flat or declining rates are a warning.

Climbing: graduates increasingly paying down debt ↑ 8.2 pts across 6 years

What this signals: Moderate. Only 53% of graduates are paying down principal seven years out.

Who Studies Here

Who you would actually be sitting next to: 3,306 students, a mid-sized community. Worth knowing: 57% are the first in their family to go to college, and 53% study part-time, so many are working alongside classes.

Total Enrolled

3,306

Part-Time

53%

First-Generation

57%

Race & Ethnicity Breakdown

Undergraduate student body composition reported to the US Department of Education.

GroupShareStudents

Hispanic 91.2% 3,015

White 4.6% 153

International 1.6% 54

Other 0.9% 31

Black 0.5% 18

Asian 0.4% 12

Student Life & Campus Culture

Where students live, learn, and connect at Southwest Texas College. The campus setting, housing profile, and signals that shape day-to-day life here.

Setting

Town: Remote Uvalde, Texas

Housing

Limited on-campus housing 256 beds

Adult Learners

12% of students are 25 or older

Athletics

NCAA athletic-conference member

Academic Calendar

Semester scheduling structure

Designation

Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI)

What You Can Study

After that comes the national picture for Health graduates, which shows what the field pays across every college rather than just this one.

Southwest Texas College offers a varied set of programs: 13 distinct programs across 9 majors. Below are its strongest majors, each with flagship programs and typical earnings. Open a major to explore it in depth, or browse the full program catalog.

1 Program

Liberal Arts

Liberal Arts $53K ($36K–$73K)

3 Programs

Health

Practical Nursing $39K ($22K–$72K)
Nursing $89K ($68K–$114K)
Allied Health Diagnostic $71K ($51K–$96K)

3 Programs

Business

Business $68K ($48K–$95K)
Business Administration $68K ($48K–$94K)
Business Operations Support and Assistant $28K ($20K–$49K)

1 Program

Natural Resources

Wildlife and Wildlands Science and Management $45K ($34K–$59K)

1 Program

Mechanics & Repair

Vehicle Maintenance $81K ($63K–$104K)

1 Program

Engineering

General Engineering $89K ($73K–$109K)

1 Program

Computer Science

Information Systems $92K ($64K–$128K)

View all majors View all programs

Faculty & Resources

There are 27 students for every instructor here: high, so expect big lectures and to work harder for one-to-one time.

Student : Faculty

27:1

Students per instructional faculty member

Instruction / Student

$4,768

Annual instructional spending per enrolled student

Endowment

$2.3M

Modest endowment

Avg Faculty Salary

$51,820

9-month equivalent across all ranks

Faculty by Rank

122 instructional faculty across 5 ranks. The rank mix shows how many senior faculty are teaching versus contingent or junior staff, with average salary equated to a 9-month contract.

Rank	Faculty Count	Share	Avg Salary
Full Professors	4	3%	$67,578
Associate Professors	2	2%	$58,250
Assistant Professors	7	6%	$60,938
Instructors	108	89%	$50,423
No Rank	1	1%	$58,000

Pros & Cons of Southwest Texas College

No college is right for everyone. Here is where Southwest Texas College is likely to suit you and where it may not, based on the same figures shown above.

Read against a single profile these cut both ways, which is why it helps to put two colleges side by side on the same measures rather than judging one in isolation.

PROS

Very affordable net price after aid
Open admissions
Low typical debt at graduation
First-gen-friendly student body
Flexible part-time enrollment options

CONS

Larger class sizes than typical
Low completion rate, many students don't graduate within six years
First-year retention is below typical
Earnings outcomes are on the lower side
Mostly part-time student body, less full-time campus feel

Best for: Based on the data, Southwest Texas College is a fit for students who want a clear path to start college without a competitive admissions barrier; families focused on keeping net cost low; working adults or students needing part-time study options.

Frequently Asked Questions about Southwest Texas College

The questions families ask most about Southwest Texas College, answered straight from the federal data rather than from the college's own marketing.

Is Southwest Texas College hard to get into?

Not especially. Southwest Texas College admits most qualified applicants, and reports no competitive acceptance rate. Plan around cost and whether students finish, not your odds of getting in.

What is the acceptance rate at Southwest Texas College?

No acceptance rate is reported, which for a college like this normally means admission is open to anyone meeting the basic requirements. Confirm with the admissions office rather than assuming it.

How much does Southwest Texas College cost?

Budget around $7,372 a year. That is the net price, what families typically pay once grants and scholarships come off, not the sticker price. Your own figure depends on household income, so treat this as a midpoint rather than a quote. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.

Is Southwest Texas College worth it?

On the numbers, yes: solid return on investment. Ten years in, the median graduate earns $35,563 a year against a net price of $7,372, about 4.8 dollars of earnings for every dollar of annual cost. That ratio ignores whether you finish and what you study, which matter just as much. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.

What is Southwest Texas College known for?

Mostly Liberal Arts, Practical Nursing, Nursing. Those are the fields where it awards the most degrees, which is a better guide to where the teaching strength sits than any reputation ranking. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.

What do Southwest Texas College graduates earn?

About $35,563 a year, measured ten years after students first enrolled. Half earn more and half earn less, and what you study moves that figure far more than where you study. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.

Is Southwest Texas College accredited?

Yes. Southwest Texas College is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.

How many students attend Southwest Texas College?

3,306 students. Big enough for a wide course catalogue without feeling anonymous. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.

What is the graduation rate at Southwest Texas College?

29% finish within six years. That means most students do not finish in six years. Ask the school directly what support exists for students who fall behind. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.

Is Southwest Texas College a public or private college?

It is Public. Public, so in-state students usually pay materially less than everyone else.

Where is Southwest Texas College located?

Southwest Texas College is located in Uvalde, Texas.

What programs does Southwest Texas College offer?

13 different programs, most commonly Liberal Arts, Practical Nursing, Nursing. If the subject you want is not among them, check the full list before applying rather than assuming it is offered.

What is the student-to-faculty ratio at Southwest Texas College?

27 students per instructor. On the high side, so expect big classes and to seek out contact time yourself. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.