Southwestern College vs Tidewater Community College

Southwestern College and Tidewater Community College, two esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences tailored to diverse student aspirations. Southwestern College, nestled in the heart of Chula Vista, California, boasts a higher acceptance rate, welcoming a broader range of students into its academic fold. Tidewater Community College, with campuses spread across Virginia's coastal region, stands out for its focus on workforce development, preparing students for immediate entry into high-demand careers. While both institutions offer a wide array of programs, Southwestern College excels in liberal arts and sciences, while Tidewater Community College shines in technical and vocational fields. Explore the detailed comparison table to discover further distinctions between these two colleges, including student body demographics, graduation rates, and popular majors, and make an informed decision that aligns with your unique academic goals and career aspirations.

	Southwestern College	Tidewater Community College
Overview
Location	Chula Vista, California	Norfolk, Virginia
Campus setting	City: Large	City: Midsize
College type	2 year	2 year
Control/business model	Public	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate	Undergraduate
Students retention rate	70.0%	57.0%
Common app member	No	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	Open Admission	Open Admission
Application fees
SAT range	N/A	N/A
ACT range	N/A	N/A
Students submitting SAT score
Students submitting ACT score
Total number of applicants
Total number of admissions given out
Admitted students who chose to enroll
Yield rate
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	Not required	Not required
High school GPA	N/A	N/A
Recommendation letters	N/A	N/A
High school transcript	N/A	N/A
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	N/A	N/A

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $29,143 Out of state: $37,235	In state: $24,039 Out of state: $30,042
Average net price	$6,789	$7,292
Tuition	In state: $1,288 Out of state: $9,380	In state: $4,680 Out of state: $9,978
Room & board
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	85.0% Average amount $5,823	55.0% Average amount $5,785
Students receiving federal student loan	0.0% Average amount $3,000	16.0% Average amount $4,559
Students taking out private loans	0.0% Average amount $0	0.0% Average amount $0

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	15,985 Men 43.8% Women 56.2%	16,797 Men 38.9% Women 61.1%
Graduate students	N/A	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	9.9%	1.6%
International students	0.1%	0.7%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	City: Midsize
Dormitory capacity	N/A	N/A
First year students are required to live on campus?	N/A	N/A
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	California	Virginia North Carolina Georgia New York California

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Business Law Enforcement and Firefighting Psychology Liberal Arts	Liberal Arts Business Health Professions Social Sciences Multidisciplinary Studies
Students to faculty ratio	22:1	20:1
Institutional accreditation	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	31.9%	26.5%
Dropout rate	40.5%	47.3%
Transferred out	9.7%	14.3%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Criminal Justice and Corrections (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $30,359 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $55,688 Year 2: $51,960 Year 3: $56,086 Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $49,656 Year 2: $50,439 Year 3: $51,424 Funeral Service and Mortuary Science (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $41,121 Year 2: $47,260 Year 3: $49,373 Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $44,245 Year 2: $46,282 Year 3: $48,794 Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $42,438 Year 2: $32,925 Year 3: $45,648 Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $59,969 Year 2: $36,668 Year 3: $43,717 Health and Medical Administrative Services (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $28,813 Year 2: $36,668 Year 3: $38,066 Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: N/A Year 2: N/A Year 3: $33,902 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $30,357 Year 2: $30,687 Year 3: $33,793 Criminal Justice and Corrections (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $30,901 Year 2: $26,739 Year 3: $33,679

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