Los Angeles
Southwest College
Public Community College in Los Angeles, CA. Six-year graduation rate 34%. Median 10-year earnings $32,172.
Median earnings ten years after entry come to $32,172, below what most undergraduate institutions return — the central fact to weigh against cost here. Completion is the weak point: 34% graduate within six years.
Earnings: College Scorecard, median ten years after entry across students who received federal aid — completers and non-completers alike.
- ✓ 3-year loan default 0.0% — below national benchmark
- ! Graduation rate 34% — below national average
Academics
Completion is the problem here: 34% graduate within six years. Retention is weak: only 52% of full-time first-years return, so roughly one in two leave after one year. Retention and graduation track closely, so most of the attrition shows up in the first year rather than after it. 13% transfer out. IPEDS does not follow them, so whether they finished elsewhere is not recorded either way. Part-time students fare worse, returning at 21% — relevant if you plan to work while enrolled.
Financial Aid
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 3,793 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
At $6,361 a year on average after grant aid, cost is low here relative to most undergraduate institutions. The gap between the $0–30k and $75–110k bands is narrow ($5,723 versus $7,420), meaning aid is not strongly need-weighted. 73% of students receive grant aid, averaging $3,164 — common but not automatic. Federal borrowing is uncommon here at 2% of students.
Entering first-year students
A different, smaller group than the rates above: full-time students in their first year of college anywhere. The grant series here also excludes the "other sources" counted in the all-undergraduate figure, so the two are not comparable.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · 138 students
Net price by family income
The same students as the headline above, limited to those who received Title IV federal aid — a narrower group, with a lower overall average. IPEDS publishes no combined figure across these bands, so they should not be averaged into one.
| Family income band | Average net price |
|---|---|
| $0–30k | $5,723 |
| $30–48k | $6,189 |
| $48–75k | $6,540 |
| $75–110k | $7,420 |
| $110k+ | — |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Federal student loans went to 62 of these 3,793 students, totalling $528,583 — an average of $8,526 each.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Local housing costs
Typical rents near campus (Los Angeles County) — budget these against any cost-of-attendance housing estimate.
HUD Fair Market Rents (40th-percentile gross rent incl. utilities) · FY2026
Veterans & GI Bill
VA GI Bill Comparison Tool (Veterans Affairs GIDS)