Southwestern Michigan College
Dowagiac, Michigan · Also known as SMC · Website
$37,303
median earnings, 10 years after starting
$37,303
median earnings, 10 years after starting
Southwestern Michigan College is a public 2-year college in Dowagiac, Michigan with 1,431 undergraduates. Its average net price after grants is $5,978 a year (tuition and fees $6,417 in-state, $8,394 out-of-state). 38% of students finish within 3 years. Former students earn a median $37,303 a year 10 years after they started, and graduates leave with a median $10,959 in federal student loans.
Updated Oct 10, 2026 · June 2026 data
Net price
$5,978
US median $17,138
Tuition in-state
$6,417
Out-of-state $8,394
Admission rate
Open
Completion rate
38%
Within 3 years, US 58%
Median debt
$10,959
About $116 a month
Earnings at 10 years
$37,303
Rank 3,131 of 5,094 in the US
Cost
What a year costs: posted prices and the average after grants
Net price by family income
Average yearly cost after grants, for students who get aid
- Net price
- $5,978
- Tuition in-state
- $6,417
- Tuition out-of-state
- $8,394
- Cost of attendance
- $15,589
- Students with a need-based grant
- 38%
- Students with federal loans
- 16%
- Net price, family income under $30K
- $5,134
- Net price, family income $30K to $48K
- $4,151
- Net price, family income $48K to $75K
- $7,414
- Net price, family income $75K to $110K
- $10,514
- Net price, family income over $110K
- $11,413
Net price is what students who get aid pay on average after grants.
Tuition and net price by year
School years 2015-16 to 2024-25. The year on the chart is the year the school year starts.
Yearly cost
Tuition and fees went from $4,921 in 2015-16 to $6,417 in 2024-25.
Admission, completion and retention
Share of applicants admitted, of students who finish and of first-year students who come back
Admission and students
- Admission rate
- Open admission
- Undergraduates
- 1,431
- Part-time students
- 33%
- Women
- 62%
- Students per teacher
- 17
- Completion rate
- 38%
- Retention rate
- 57%
- Highest degree
- Associate's degree
- Programs
- 54
- Endowment
- $15.4M
- Other
- Open admission
Earnings and debt
Compared with the medians of the colleges of its state, of colleges of the same kind and of all US colleges
Median earnings 10 years after starting rank 3,131 of 5,094 US colleges and 68 of 145 in Michigan (1 = highest).
| Measure | College | MI median | Same kind | US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net price | $5,978 | $17,194 | $7,702 | $17,138 |
| Tuition in-state | $6,417 | $15,221 | $4,656 | $11,837 |
| Admission rate | - | 81% | 79% | 78% |
| Completion rate | 38% | 59% | 38% | 58% |
| Retention rate | 57% | 70% | 64% | 75% |
| Median debt | $10,959 | $13,000 | $10,417 | $13,271 |
| Earnings after 6 years | $33,204 | $32,840 | $33,563 | $35,656 |
| Earnings after 10 years | $37,303 | $36,115 | $38,555 | $40,813 |
Best-paid programs
Median earnings 1 year after graduation
Same kind: US public 2-year colleges. Earnings and debt are medians of former students who received federal student aid. 29% of borrowers lowered their balance within 3 years. 56% earn more than a typical high school graduate 6 years after starting.
Programs
54 fields of study and credentials, with graduates, debt and earnings
| Field of study | Graduates | Median debt | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yr | US median 4 yr | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesAssociate's | Associate's | 69 | $7,942 | $22,272 | $37,492 | $44,125 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingAssociate's | Associate's | 40 | $16,981 | $64,034 | $83,660 | $80,813 |
| Precision Metal WorkingCertificate | Certificate | 20 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $48,702 |
| Business/Commerce, GeneralAssociate's | Associate's | 18 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsAssociate's | Associate's | 15 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $37,656 |
| Psychology, GeneralAssociate's | Associate's | 9 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Design and Applied ArtsAssociate's | Associate's | 8 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $38,127 |
| Computer Systems Networking and TelecommunicationsAssociate's | Associate's | 7 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $54,971 |
| Criminal Justice and CorrectionsAssociate's | Associate's | 7 | Withheld | Withheld | $43,335 | $46,706 |
| Health and Medical Administrative ServicesAssociate's | Associate's | 7 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $37,073 |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsAssociate's | Associate's | 7 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $48,733 |
| Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies/TechniciansCertificate | Certificate | 6 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $51,586 |
| Social WorkAssociate's | Associate's | 5 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $39,409 |
| CarpentersAssociate's | Associate's | 5 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $47,382 |
| Allied Health and Medical Assisting ServicesAssociate's | Associate's | 5 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $42,269 |
| Engineering, GeneralAssociate's | Associate's | 4 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Electromechanical Technologies/TechniciansAssociate's | Associate's | 4 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $73,046 |
| Accounting and Related ServicesAssociate's | Associate's | 4 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $47,660 |
| Agricultural Business and ManagementAssociate's | Associate's | 3 | - | - | Withheld | - |
| Engineering Technologies/Technicians, GeneralAssociate's | Associate's | 3 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $62,343 |
| Electromechanical Technologies/TechniciansCertificate | Certificate | 3 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $65,202 |
| Communication and Media StudiesAssociate's | Associate's | 2 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Computer/Information Technology Administration and ManagementCertificate | Certificate | 2 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Rhetoric and Composition/Writing StudiesAssociate's | Associate's | 2 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/FitnessAssociate's | Associate's | 2 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $40,162 |
In the area
- Jobs, pay and new homes: the county of Dowagiac and Michigan on Local Economy
- More colleges: All colleges in Michigan
- Homes: Homes for sale in Michigan
Questions and answers
How much does Southwestern Michigan College cost?
$5,978 a year is the average net price at Southwestern Michigan College after grants and scholarships. Tuition and fees are $6,417 for in-state students and $8,394 for out-of-state students, and the full cost of attendance with housing, food and books is $15,589. Families earning under $30,000 pay $5,134 on average.
What is the acceptance rate at Southwestern Michigan College?
Southwestern Michigan College has open admission: it accepts students who meet its basic requirements, such as a high school diploma.
How much do Southwestern Michigan College graduates earn?
$37,303 a year is the median pay of former Southwestern Michigan College students who work, 10 years after they started ($33,204 after 6 years). That ranks 3,131 of 5,094 US colleges and 68 of 145 in Michigan. Its best-paid program one year after graduation is Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's) at $64,034.
How much student debt do Southwestern Michigan College graduates have?
$10,959 is the median federal student loan debt of Southwestern Michigan College graduates, about $116 a month over 10 years. The median across US colleges is $13,271. 16% of undergraduates take out federal loans.
What is the graduation rate at Southwestern Michigan College?
38% of first-time, full-time students at Southwestern Michigan College finish within 3 years. 57% of first-year students come back for a second year. The median of public 2-year colleges is 38%.
What are the most popular majors at Southwestern Michigan College?
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (69 associate's graduates), Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (40 associate's graduates), Precision Metal Working (20 certificate graduates) had the most graduates in the newest year, out of 54 programs.
Official public data, June 2026 release. Net price is for first-time, full-time students who get aid. Completion counts first-time, full-time students who finish within 150% of the normal time. Debt and earnings are medians of students who received federal student aid, measured a few years after they left, in the dollars of the year measured; earnings count former students who work and are not enrolled, including those who did not finish.