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Consumer Information

Consumer Information

The Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA), as amended by the Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008 (HEOA), requires that a postsecondary education institution make available to students and employees information submitted to the U.S. Department of Education or other agencies.

Accreditation

Southwestern College is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. The mission of HLC is to serve the common good by assuring and advancing the quality of higher learning. We also offer programs that are accredited by other field-specific agencies. For a status update and listing of other accrediting agencies affiliated with Southwestern academic programs see our Accreditation page.

General Institutional Information

Student Diversity
In the Fall of 2023, of the 680 full-time enrollment (unduplicated headcount for Main Campus, Professional Studies, and graduate programs) - 64% male and 36% female. Of those students 18% are Black or African American, 4% are American Indian or Alaska Native, 1% are Asian, 1% are Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, 16% are Hispanic/Latino, 45% are Caucasian, 3% are Non-Resident Alien, 2% are of two or more races and 10% declined to report.

Diversity of Pell Recipients
Federal Pell Grant recipients comprised 40% of the full-time enrolled undergraduate students in the Fall of 2023. Of these, 39% were female and 61% were male. 54% of the Pell recipients identified themselves as members of a racial or ethnic minority.

The Fact Book

Website Privacy Policy

Strategic Plan
Our Strategic Plan is titled "Southwestern College in 2022: A Strong and Vibrant College," The purpose of the plan is to focus our resources and energies collectively toward a goal of by 2022 Southwestern College will be a strong and vibrant college, recognizable for our delivery on a sincere promise to every student enrolled: each student will more fully realize their potential at Southwestern than at any other institution of higher education. The plan commits to a single initiative in each of the following areas: Academic strength, Co-curricular strength, Financial strength, and strength of Physical Plant.

Student Services

Student Services Accommodations
Southwestern College is committed to providing “reasonable accommodations” for students. In keeping with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and the Americans with Disability Act of 1992, students must provide appropriate documentation of the disability, which should include appropriate diagnostic testing and a recommendation form prepared by qualified personnel outside of Southwestern College. Please visit our web page for Disability Services to contact our Disabilities Services Coordinator and download documentation forms.

Career and Job Placement Services
Southwestern College is committed to helping students achieve their vocational goals after graduation. Our career and job placement services aid students in navigating the steps to developing a resume and interview skills to land their first career position.

Student Services - Southwestern provides a variety of options for students to participate in student activities and organizations.

Student Financial Assistance

Student Financial Assistance

Cost of Attendance
Cost of Attendance (COA) is the total cost of attending a college for a period of one year.  This estimated budget includes all reasonable expenses a family can expect such as tuition, room and board, books and supplies, personal expenses, and transportation. Tuition and fee tables list all tuition charges and fees in effect for an academic year.

Net Price Calculator
This calculator is a tool designed to help students estimate net price information (defined as estimated cost of attendance — including tuition and required fees, books and supplies, room and board (meals), and other related expenses — minus estimated grant and scholarship aid) to current and prospective students and their families based on what similar students paid in a previous year. However, submission of the FAFSA is the only way to obtain a true and accurate determination of eligibility.

Conviction for Possession or Sale of Illegal Drugs (Financial Aid)

Requirements and Procedures for Officially Withdrawing
Prior to the add/drop deadlines, students may drop a class either online or by submitting the appropriate form to the registrar’s office with advisor approval (main campus students). After the final day of the drop period, students wanting to drop a class must follow the official withdrawal process (see Official Withdrawal from Courses in the Academic Calendar). Deadlines for the drop period are posted on the academic calendar.

Refund Policy and Summary for the Requirements of the Return of Federal Student Aid

Financial Aid Application for Study Abroad

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) - Southwestern College maintains compliance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) of 1974 as amended. FERPA defines educational requirements, which are designed to protect the privacy of students concerning their records maintained by Southwestern College. We encourage all families to read the stipulations and regulations carefully and make an informed decision about the disclosure of student information.

Academic Information

Health and Safety

Vaccination Policies

The College does not require vaccination records but does strongly recommend the following vaccinations:

  • Measles, mumps, and rubella vaccinations.
  • Primary series of tetanus-diphtheria and a booster shot within the last ten years.
  • Primary series of polio immunizations.
  • Meningitis (Menomonee or Menactra) immunization.
  • The College also strongly recommends that students are immunized against Tuberculosis, Hepatitis A and B as well as HPV (Gardasil or Cervarix).

Student Outcomes

  • Retention Rate Students entering in the fall term as first-time students, according to the IPEDS definition, comprise the first-time cohort of that year.  The retention and graduation rates are tracked by the first-time cohorts and reported through the IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System). 53% of the first-time undergraduate students who enrolled in the Fall of 2022 returned in the Fall of 2023.
  • Graduation Rates The graduation rate for the first-time cohort entering in Fall 2017 is 33%.
  • Graduation Rates for Students Receiving Athletically Related Student Aid were 40% for Female Athletes and 29% for Male Athletes for fall 2017 athletic cohorts as of August 31, 2023.
  • Intercollegiate Athletic Program Participation Rates and Financial Support Data - Equity in Athletics. Information about men's and women's athletic teams at Southwestern, including the number of participants and coaches, expenses, and income.  We submit this report annually to the U.S. Department of Education. The report shows 29% of our athletes are female while 71% are male.
  • Teacher Preparation Program Report - Southwestern provides a report to the State of Kansas annually which is then reported to the Department of Education in the state reports.  The link to the individual college and university reports on the Kansas Department of Education website is found at KSDE Kansas Colleges and Universities.  The link to Southwestern's most recent teacher licensure pass rates is located at: SC's CAEP Reporting Data.
  • Post-Graduation Data

Complaint Processes

Persons who have complaints against the school should first contact the appropriate department head, i.e., for academic-related concerns, the Vice President for Academic Affairs; for financial-related concerns, the Associate Vice President of Business Affairs; for student life issues, the Dean of Students.

Persons who have complaints that are broader in scope and relate to possible accreditation issues should contact The Higher Learning Commission.  The instructions for filing a complaint are found in the Higher Learning Commission Complaint Process.

Most external complaint processes require that all avenues of complaint are exhausted internally to the institution before a grievance will be considered.

HEERF Funding for Students

5/18/2020

Southwestern College has received funds from the Department of Education, through the CARES Act. The college will use 50% of the funds, or $245,000, to provide Emergency Financial Aid Grants to students whose need, as determined by the federal government, is greatest. The remaining 50% of the funds, another $245,000, will be used to help provide refunds and credits of unused room and board fees to students. While only a limited number of students will receive the Emergency Financial Aid Grant through the CARES Act, the College will make sure that all students receive credits to their student accounts for any unused room and board fees during the spring semester.

The Emergency Financial Aid Grants will be disbursed to all students who are Pell-eligible, as determined by the federal government. That is approximately 260 Southwestern students. In identifying which students receive these grants, we worked within federal guidelines and identified financial needs as determined by the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

To date, those grants have been issued, but we anticipate that they be processed and checks mailed out by June 1, 2020. These financial grants are one-time grants and Pell-eligible student recipients will be receiving a letter with more information, along with a check in the amount of $725 ($1,150 for those students who have a $0 Expected Family Contribution according to the 2019-2020 FAFSA).

12/17/2020 Update

Southwestern College received funds from the Department of Education through the CARES Act. The college used 50% of the funds to provide Emergency Financial Aid Grants to students whose need, as determined by the federal government, was greatest. The remaining 50% of the funds were used to help provide credits of unused room and board fees to students.

The Emergency Financial Aid Grants were disbursed to students who were Pell Grant eligible as determined by the federal government (approximately 260 students) using the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).  These checks were written and mailed directly to students in the summer of 2020.  At the beginning of the Fall 2020 semester, $9,506 of the original amount remained unspent.  This money was distributed to any original recipient who returned to Southwestern College for the Fall term and who had a $0 EFC on the 2020-2021 FAFSA.  Qualified recipients (68 individuals) received a letter with a check for $139.79.  With this final distribution, the original amount received for grants to students through the CARES Act has been fully disbursed.

3/22/2021 Update

Southwestern College has received funds from the Department of Education, through HEERF. The college will use a designated portion of the funds, approximately $245,000, to provide Emergency Financial Aid Grants to students whose need, as determined by the federal government, is greatest.

The Emergency Financial Aid Grants were disbursed to all students who are Pell-eligible, as determined by the federal government. That is approximately 280 Southwestern students. In identifying which students receive these grants, we worked within federal guidelines and identified financial needs as determined by the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

To date, those grants have been issued and received.  These financial grants are one-time grants and Pell-eligible student recipients will be receiving a letter with more information, along with a check in the amount of $749.66 ($1,000 for those students who have a $0 Expected Family Contribution according to the 2020-2021 FAFSA).  With this distribution, the amount received for grants to students through HEERF have been fully disbursed. 

9/27/2021 Update

Southwestern College has received emergency funds from the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund III (HEERFIII). The college will use a designated portion of the funds, approximately $1,157,784, to provide Emergency Financial Aid Grants to students whose need, as determined by the federal government, is greatest.

An early release of $1,250 of the HEERFIII funds were disbursed to Pell Grant eligible students who were enrolled in classes during the Summer 2021.  Five Southwestern students received an emergency grant in the amount of $250. When identifying which students should receive the grants, we used financial need and Pell Grant eligibility as determined by the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

To date, those grants have been issued and received.  These financial grants are one-time grants and Pell-eligible student recipients received a letter with more information, along with a check in the amount of $250.  The remainder of the funds will be released in the form of emergency grants during the Fall 2021 semester.

10/13/2021 Update

Southwestern College has received funds from the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund III (HEERFIII). A portion of these funds, approximately $1,157,784, has been designated to provide Emergency Financial Aid Grants directly to students in order to assist in recovery from the pandemic.

Southwestern has chosen to send these funds in direct grants to regular, undergraduate students on the residential campus who are enrolled at least half-time and professional studies students enrolled in the first session of the Fall term who have completed a FAFSA to apply for financial aid. Approximately 786 Southwestern students qualify to receive one of the grants. In identifying which students receive these grants, we worked within federal guidelines and prioritized grants to be spent on students with exceptional need first as determined by the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and cost of attendance.  Amounts varied based on the student’s eligibility for the Pell grant.  The next group identified were non-FAFSA filers attending as regular students enrolled at least half-time on the residential campus.  And finally we identified those who completed the FAFSA attending the online program.  The assumption was made that all qualifying students had some financial need caused by the pandemic over the past two years.

To date, these grants have been issued. We anticipate that they will be processed and checks mailed by November 12, 2021. These financial grants are one-time grants. Eligible student recipients have received a letter with more information and instructions. Checks will be issued with amounts ranging from $600 to $2,559 depending on the student’s FAFSA Application status, Estimated Family Contribution, and Cost of Attendance.

01/07/2022 Update

Southwestern College was allocated funds from the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund III (HEERFIII). A portion of these funds, approximately $1,157,784, were designated to provide Emergency Financial Aid Grants directly to students in order to assist in recovery from the pandemic.

To date and beginning with the Summer 2021 semester, $1,099,703 has been distributed. A small number of students requested Southwestern apply their grant to the Spring 2022 semester charges. A total of $58,081 will be disbursed to accounts by January 31, 2022. These financial grants are one-time grants. Eligible student recipients received a letter with information and instructions. This final spring distribution combined with the amounts disbursed in the Summer and Fall semesters of 2021 represent full disbursement of the original amount allocated for emergency grants to students.

Southwestern chose to send the HEERF grants to regular, undergraduate students on the residential campus who were enrolled at least half-time and professional studies students enrolled in the first session of the Fall 2021 term who completed a FAFSA to apply for financial aid. Approximately 786 Southwestern students qualified to receive one of the grants. In identifying which students receive these grants, we worked within federal guidelines and prioritized grants to be spent on students with exceptional need first as determined by the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and cost of attendance. Amounts varied based on the student’s eligibility for the Pell grant. The next group identified were non-FAFSA filers attending as regular students enrolled at least half-time on the residential campus. And finally we identified those who completed the FAFSA attending the online program. The assumption was made that all qualifying students had some financial need caused by the pandemic over the past two years.

If you have additional questions, please contact Brenda Hicks in The Office of Student Financial Aid.

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41 main campus and 16 professional studies undergraduate majors, 27 minors, teacher certification in 13 areas, and 6 graduate programs.

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