SOWELA Technical Community College
Lake Charles, Louisiana · Also known as SOWELA · Website
$32,303
median earnings, 10 years after starting
$32,303
median earnings, 10 years after starting
SOWELA Technical Community College is a public 2-year college in Lake Charles, Louisiana with 2,966 undergraduates. Its average net price after grants is $7,525 a year (tuition and fees $4,305). 43% of students finish within 3 years. Former students earn a median $32,303 a year 10 years after they started.
Updated Oct 10, 2026 · June 2026 data
Net price
$7,525
US median $17,138
Tuition and fees
$4,305
US median $11,837
Admission rate
Open
Completion rate
43%
Within 3 years, US 58%
Median debt
-
Earnings at 10 years
$32,303
Rank 3,808 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
- $7,525
- Tuition and fees
- $4,305
- Cost of attendance
- $15,578
- Students with a need-based grant
- 46%
- Students with federal loans
- 0%
- Net price, family income under $30K
- $7,439
- Net price, family income $30K to $48K
- $6,864
- Net price, family income $48K to $75K
- $8,411
- Net price, family income $75K to $110K
- $8,407
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 $4,077 in 2015-16 to $4,305 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
- 2,966
- Part-time students
- 40%
- Women
- 52%
- Students per teacher
- 19
- Completion rate
- 43%
- Retention rate
- 59%
- Highest degree
- Associate's degree
- Programs
- 42
- Endowment
- $2.53M
- 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 3,808 of 5,094 US colleges and 50 of 94 in Louisiana (1 = highest).
| Measure | College | LA median | Same kind | US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net price | $7,525 | $14,810 | $7,702 | $17,138 |
| Tuition in-state | $4,305 | $9,181 | $4,656 | $11,837 |
| Admission rate | - | 78% | 79% | 78% |
| Completion rate | 43% | 57% | 38% | 58% |
| Retention rate | 59% | 71% | 64% | 75% |
| Median debt | - | $13,136 | $10,417 | $13,271 |
| Earnings after 6 years | $32,044 | $27,631 | $33,563 | $35,656 |
| Earnings after 10 years | $32,303 | $32,992 | $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. 53% earn more than a typical high school graduate 6 years after starting.
Programs
42 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical and Power Transmission InstallersCertificate | Certificate | 265 | Withheld | Withheld | $63,577 | $53,078 |
| Electromechanical Technologies/TechniciansCertificate | Certificate | 189 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Industrial Production Technologies/TechniciansCertificate | Certificate | 176 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Business Operations Support and Assistant ServicesCertificate | Certificate | 149 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $32,681 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesCertificate | Certificate | 142 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Culinary Arts and Related ServicesOnlineCertificate | Certificate | 113 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Precision Metal WorkingCertificate | Certificate | 113 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $48,702 |
| Electrical and Power Transmission InstallersAssociate's | Associate's | 92 | Withheld | $52,083 | Withheld | $70,808 |
| Industrial Production Technologies/TechniciansAssociate's | Associate's | 89 | Withheld | $75,239 | $127,701 | $73,593 |
| Computer and Information Sciences, GeneralCertificate | Certificate | 83 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Electromechanical Technologies/TechniciansAssociate's | Associate's | 82 | Withheld | $51,912 | $91,057 | $73,046 |
| Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies/TechniciansCertificate | Certificate | 78 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $51,586 |
| Business/Commerce, GeneralOnlineCertificate | Certificate | 77 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing AssistantsCertificate | Certificate | 55 | Withheld | $43,365 | $46,806 | $56,073 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingAssociate's | Associate's | 44 | Withheld | $72,690 | $71,515 | $80,813 |
| Drafting/Design Engineering Technologies/TechniciansCertificate | Certificate | 38 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Accounting and Related ServicesCertificate | Certificate | 38 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Criminal Justice and CorrectionsCertificate | Certificate | 37 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Business/Commerce, GeneralOnlineAssociate's | Associate's | 34 | Withheld | $31,941 | $45,091 | $49,927 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesAssociate's | Associate's | 27 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $44,125 |
| CarpentersCertificate | Certificate | 26 | - | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing AssistantsAssociate's | Associate's | 26 | - | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Physical Science Technologies/TechniciansCertificate | Certificate | 25 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Computer and Information Sciences, GeneralAssociate's | Associate's | 20 | Withheld | $30,360 | Withheld | $54,246 |
| Criminal Justice and CorrectionsAssociate's | Associate's | 18 | Withheld | $23,832 | $35,884 | $46,706 |
In the area
- Jobs, pay and new homes: Louisiana on Local Economy
- More colleges: All colleges in Louisiana
- Homes: Homes for sale in Louisiana
Questions and answers
How much does SOWELA Technical Community College cost?
$7,525 a year is the average net price at SOWELA Technical Community College after grants and scholarships. Tuition and fees are $4,305, and the full cost of attendance with housing, food and books is $15,578. Families earning under $30,000 pay $7,439 on average.
What is the acceptance rate at SOWELA Technical Community College?
SOWELA Technical Community College has open admission: it accepts students who meet its basic requirements, such as a high school diploma.
How much do SOWELA Technical Community College graduates earn?
$32,303 a year is the median pay of former SOWELA Technical Community College students who work, 10 years after they started ($32,044 after 6 years). That ranks 3,808 of 5,094 US colleges and 50 of 94 in Louisiana. Its best-paid program one year after graduation is Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians (Associate's) at $75,239.
What is the graduation rate at SOWELA Technical Community College?
43% of first-time, full-time students at SOWELA Technical Community College finish within 3 years. 59% 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 SOWELA Technical Community College?
Electrical and Power Transmission Installers (265 certificate graduates), Electromechanical Technologies/Technicians (189 certificate graduates), Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians (176 certificate graduates) had the most graduates in the newest year, out of 42 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.