Private (for-profit)

Southwest University at El Paso

El Paso, Texas·Private for-profit, 4-year or above·Southwest·southwestuniversity.edu
6-yr Graduation
59%
-2.0pp vs peer
Total enrollment
2,130
peer median 1,465
Avg net price
$17,803
-$11k vs peer
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About

Southwest University at El Paso is a private, for-profit institution located in El Paso, Texas, that was founded in June 1999. The university offers a range of degree programs focused primarily on healthcare, business, and technology, providing education and training to non-traditional students in the local community.

Graduation rate & outcomes

Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.

Overall completion
59%-2.0pp vs peer
4-year graduation
51%
6-year graduation (bachelor’s)
67%
Full-time retention
64%

Pell equity

7.0pp gap
Pell recipients
60%
Non-Pell
53%

Pell recipients graduate at a higher rate than non-Pell students here — unusual and worth investigating.

Program outcomes

Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.

Of 49 Title IV programs, 8 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 41 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
49
Passing
8
16.3% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
0
0.0% of portfolio
Fail rate
0.0%
-0.6pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

49programs
  • Passing8 · 16.3%
  • No Data41 · 83.7%
  • Failing0 · 0.0%

Severity spectrum

Critical
0
Severe
0
Recoverable
0
At Risk
3
Watch
4
Safe
1
No data
41

Tiers band programs by how far graduate earnings sit above or below the benchmark, from Critical (below −15%) through Safe (above +25%). No data means earnings were privacy-suppressed.

Earnings premium gap

Graduate earnings versus the federal benchmark, worst gaps first.

8
Health and Medical Administrative Services
Associate Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
+1.1%
$33,666 vs $33,298
Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services
Associate Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
+1.3%
$33,726 vs $33,298
Accounting and Related Services
Associate Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
+7.6%
$35,818 vs $33,298
Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied Professions
Associate Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
+10.6%
$36,823 vs $33,298
Business Management Marketing and Related Support Services Other
Bachelor Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
+18.5%
$39,459 vs $33,298
Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies/Technicians
Associate Degree · Mechanic And Repair Technologies/Technicians
+22.2%
$40,705 vs $33,298
Public Health
Bachelor Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
+23.1%
$40,984 vs $33,298
Allied Health Diagnostic Intervention and Treatment Professions
Associate Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
+77.5%
$59,097 vs $33,298

Near the line (±5%)

Programs within five points of the pass line, one cohort year from flipping.

2
Health and Medical Administrative Services
Associate Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
+1.1%
+$368
Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services
Associate Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
+1.3%
+$428

Debt vs earnings

Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.

9
Business Management Marketing and Related Support Services Other
Bachelor Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
119%
$46,830 debt · $39,459 earn
Public Health
Bachelor Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
109%
$44,693 debt · $40,984 earn
Allied Health Diagnostic Intervention and Treatment Professions
Associate Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
69%
$40,722 debt · $59,097 earn
Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied Professions
Associate Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
66%
$24,166 debt · $36,823 earn
Health and Medical Administrative Services
Associate Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
59%
$20,000 debt · $33,666 earn
Accounting and Related Services
Associate Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
56%
$20,000 debt · $35,818 earn
Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services
Associate Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
52%
$17,676 debt · $33,726 earn
Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies/Technicians
Associate Degree · Mechanic And Repair Technologies/Technicians
49%
$19,918 debt · $40,705 earn

Accreditation status & history

Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.

AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools

Accredited since 2007Next review Feb 2029

Programmatic accreditations · 2

Action history · 10

  1. Jan 2026Renewal of Accreditation
    Joint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology · Radiologic Technology (RAD) - Programs for radiographers
  2. Oct 2023Renewal of Accreditation
    Joint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology · Radiologic Technology (RAD) - Programs for radiographers
  3. Oct 2023Renewal of Accreditation
    Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education · Nursing (CNURED) - Nursing education programs at the baccalaureate degree levels
  4. Oct 2022Renewal of Accreditation
    Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools
  5. Sep 2022Probation or Equivalent or a More Severe Status: Probation
    Joint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology · Radiologic Technology (RAD) - Programs for radiographers

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Tuition & cost

What families actually pay, broken down by family income.

Net price by family income

Aid exceeds costFamily pays
$0–30k$17,720
$30–48k$18,091
$48–75k$21,909
$75–110k
$110k+

Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.

Avg net price (private)
$17,803
-$11,289vs peer median $29,092
Federal loans
83.3%
In-state tuition
$16,000
Out-of-state
$16,000

Federal aid volume & trends

Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.

In AY 2024–25, 2,582 students received $13.7M in Pell grants, alongside $15.3M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
2,582
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$13.7M
$13,704,040 total
Direct Loans
$15.3M
4,121 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

2k
20
2k
21
2k
22
3k
23
3k
24

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Subsidized$5.9M
1,981 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$7.8M
1,960 loan awards
Unsubsidized · Grad$971K
58 loan awards
Parent PLUS$403K
113 loan awards
Grad PLUS$217K
9 loan awards

Loan awards count each loan type a student holds, not unique borrowers; one student may carry several (e.g. subsidized and unsubsidized), so the per-type figures are the reliable detail.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student loan default rate

The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.

Of 1,278 borrowers who entered repayment, 11 (0.8%) defaulted within three years below the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
0.8%
-1.5pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
1,278
Defaulted
11
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
6.0%
2017
4.5%
2018
3.4%
2019
0.8%
2020*
0.0%
This institutionNational rate

* Cohorts 2020 and later read near 0% because the federal COVID-19 payment pause (CARES Act) suspended defaults nationwide. These years reflect a national policy, not institutional performance; the 2019 cohort is the last measured under normal repayment.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Academic programs at SUEP

Top program areas ranked by completions.

Distinct CIP programs22
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

605 total completions
01Health Professions
49882.3%
02Business
538.8%
03Mechanic
406.6%
04Computer Sciences
142.3%

Enrollment trends & demographics

Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.

Fall total
2,130
12-mo unduplicated
3,807
Undergraduate
3,739
Graduate
68

Gender split

Men
34%1,297
Women
66%2,510

Race / ethnicity composition

Hispanic
86.0%
Black
6.1%
White
5.9%
Asian
0.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native
0.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander
0.5%
Unknown
0.3%

Campus safety & crime statistics

Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.

Criminal offenses · per 1,000 students
0.00
0 offenses · 1,596 students

3-year trend

0.002 yrs ago0.001 yr ago0.00Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
0
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
0
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
0
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
0

Criminal offenses by type

No criminal offenses reported.

By location

0total

    VAWA offenses

    0
    Domestic violence
    0
    Dating violence
    0
    Stalking
    0 total under the Violence Against Women Act.

    Hate crimes by bias

    No hate crimes reported.

    Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

    CategoryArrestsReferrals
    Weapons00
    Drugs00
    Liquor00

    Residence-hall fires

    No residence-hall fires reported.

    Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

    Student-faculty ratio

    Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.

    Student-to-faculty
    20.0:1
    Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
    138

    SUEP vs Peer comparison

    The peer institutions SUEP selected for federal comparison reporting.

    GraduationRetentionSelectivityEnrollmentAffordabilityYield
    This institutionPeer median

    A larger shape on any axis means this institution outperforms its peers on that dimension. For acceptance rate and net price, lower raw values are inverted so "more selective" and "more affordable" appear larger.

    Carnegie
    SubjectSouthwest University at El Paso
    59%2,130$17,803
    American College of Healthcare Sciences
    53.5%1,052$24,016
    Brookline College-Phoenix
    38%739
    Cambridge College of Healthcare & Technology
    381$17,057Special Focus Two-Year: Health Professions
    Career Networks Institute
    1,133$28,292
    Carrington College-Sacramento
    88.7%2,207$37,143Special Focus Two-Year: Health Professions
    Concorde Career College-Aurora
    90.5%256$16,547Special Focus Two-Year: Health Professions
    Eastwick College-Ramsey
    83%37.3%1,203$28,162
    Galen College of Nursing-Cincinnati
    645$29,150Special Focus Two-Year: Health Professions
    Galen College of Nursing-San Antonio
    50%2,953$29,824
    Galen College of Nursing-Tampa Bay
    100%1,465$29,598Special Focus Two-Year: Health Professions
    Glendale Career College
    100.0%896$46,212Special Focus Two-Year: Health Professions
    Gurnick Academy of Medical Arts
    3,437$30,558
    Joyce University of Nursing and Health Sciences
    0%61.9%2,073$31,013
    Las Vegas College
    536$29,115Special Focus Two-Year: Health Professions
    Pima Medical Institute-Tucson
    2,676
    San Joaquin Valley College-Visalia
    2,318$29,092
    Smith Chason College
    92%2,447$34,402
    Southeastern College-West Palm Beach
    87.0%564$33,952Special Focus Two-Year: Health Professions
    Stanbridge University
    10.0%2,928$25,114
    Sumner College
    88.9%532$28,309Special Focus Two-Year: Health Professions
    The College of Health Care Professions-Northwest
    4,530$25,937
    Unitek College
    63%5,725$25,719
    Peer group median61%87.0%1,465$29,092

    Reports & documents (1)

    Dashboards, factbooks, data dictionaries, and other reference material published by the IR office.

    Frequently asked questions about Southwest University at El Paso

    Quick answers to the questions most often asked about SUEP.

    What is the graduation rate at Southwest University at El Paso?

    Southwest University at El Paso reports a 6-year graduation rate of 59% per the latest IPEDS.

    How many students attend Southwest University at El Paso?

    Southwest University at El Paso reports a total enrollment of 2,130 students per the latest IPEDS.

    What is the average net price at Southwest University at El Paso?

    The average net price at Southwest University at El Paso is $17,803 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

    Where is Southwest University at El Paso located?

    Southwest University at El Paso is located in El Paso, Texas 79925.

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