Southwestern Michigan College
About
Southwestern Michigan College is a public community college with its main campus near Dowagiac, Michigan.It also has a campus just outside the city limits of Niles, Michigan.
Graduation rate & outcomes
Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.
Pell equity
Non-Pell students graduate at a 34.0-point higher rate than Pell recipients.
Program outcomes
Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.
Of 43 Title IV programs, 3 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 40 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.
Pass / fail distribution
- Passing3 · 7.0%
- No Data40 · 93.0%
- Failing0 · 0.0%
Severity spectrum
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.
Debt vs earnings
Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.
Accreditation status & history
Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.
Higher Learning Commission
Higher Learning Commission
Programmatic accreditations · 1
Action history · 3
- Mar 2022Renewal of AccreditationAccreditation Commission for Education in Nursing, Inc. — May 6, 2013 Formerly: National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission · Nursing (ADNUR) - Associate degree programs
- Jul 2021Renewal of AccreditationHigher Learning Commission
- Mar 2017Initial AccreditationAccreditation Commission for Education in Nursing, Inc. — May 6, 2013 Formerly: National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission · Nursing (ADNUR) - Associate degree programs
Tuition & cost
What families actually pay, broken down by family income.
Net price by family income
Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.
Federal aid volume & trends
Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.
In AY 2024–25, 1,069 students received $5.2M in Pell grants, alongside $1.7M in federal Direct Loans.
Pell recipients · 5-year trend
Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25
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.
Student loan default rate
The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.
Of 443 borrowers who entered repayment, 12 (2.7%) defaulted within three years — above the 2.3% national rate.
Default rate vs national, by cohort
* 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.
Academic programs at Southwestern Michigan College
Top program areas ranked by completions.
Top program families by completions
Enrollment trends & demographics
Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.
Gender split
Race / ethnicity composition
Athletics & Title IX gender equity
How athletic participation, aid, and spending are split between men and women.
Men vs women · spending splits
Sport-by-sport · 4
Campus safety & crime statistics
Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.
3-year trend
Criminal offenses by type
By location
- On campus3
Includes 3 in residence halls (a subset of on-campus, not added to the total).
VAWA offenses
Hate crimes by bias
No hate crimes reported.
Arrests vs disciplinary referrals
Residence-hall fires
- McKenzie Hall3 firesCookingDamage $0-$99
- McKenzie Hall3 firesOtherDamage $0-$99
- McKenzie Hall3 firesCookingDamage $0-$99
Student-faculty ratio
Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.
Southwestern Michigan College vs Peer comparison
The peer institutions Southwestern Michigan College selected for federal comparison reporting.
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 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
SubjectSouthwestern Michigan College | 38% | — | 2,000 | $6,463 | Community College |
Alpena Community College | 100% | — | 1,581 | $4,067 | Baccalaureate |
Bay de Noc Community College | — | — | 2,149 | $9,766 | Community College |
Delta College | — | — | 8,397 | $4,550 | Community College |
Glen Oaks Community College | — | — | 1,183 | $7,930 | Community College |
Gogebic Community College | — | — | 882 | $5,216 | Community College |
Grand Rapids Community College | — | — | 12,468 | $11,153 | Community College |
Henry Ford College | — | — | 11,410 | $576 | Baccalaureate |
Jackson College | 33% | — | 5,086 | $7,657 | Baccalaureate |
Kalamazoo Valley Community College | — | — | 6,334 | $2,991 | Community College |
Kellogg Community College | — | — | 4,036 | $4,867 | Community College |
Kirtland Community College | — | — | 1,905 | $9,615 | Community College |
Lake Michigan College | — | — | 2,937 | $11,209 | Baccalaureate |
Lansing Community College | — | — | 9,821 | $4,003 | Community College |
Macomb Community College | — | — | 16,300 | $5,725 | Community College |
Mid Michigan College | — | — | 3,692 | $10,100 | Community College |
Monroe County Community College | — | — | 2,210 | $5,261 | Community College |
Montcalm Community College | — | — | 1,751 | $4,352 | Community College |
Mott Community College | — | — | 6,718 | $6,258 | Community College |
Muskegon Community College | — | — | 3,617 | $5,196 | Community College |
North Central Michigan College | — | — | 1,613 | $5,457 | Community College |
Northwestern Michigan College | 53% | — | 3,253 | $5,243 | Baccalaureate |
Oakland Community College | — | — | 15,287 | $4,568 | Community College |
Schoolcraft Community College District | — | — | 8,587 | $5,372 | Baccalaureate |
St Clair County Community College | — | — | 3,317 | $8,145 | Community College |
Washtenaw Community College | — | — | 11,133 | $3,561 | Community College |
Wayne County Community College District | — | — | 11,887 | $5,762 | Community College |
West Shore Community College | — | — | 1,120 | $1,335 | Community College |
| Peer group median | 46% | — | 3,655 | $5,317 |
Southwestern Michigan College Institutional Research office
The IR team responsible for the institution's federal reporting.
To stay relevant, competitive, and focused on the needs of our stakeholders—students, alumni, community, donors, faculty, and staff—Southwestern Michigan College regularly evaluates and updates its institutional effectiveness.
Visit IR office page- Dr. Angela EvansDirector of Institutional Research
Research funding
External research funding from NSF, NIH, HERD, and federal spending sources.
Reports & documents (2)
Dashboards, factbooks, data dictionaries, and other reference material published by the IR office.
- DFR reportIPEDS Data Feedback Report 20242024nces.ed.gov
- Strategic planStrategic Plan2026Southwestern Michigan College's Strategic Plan outlines the institution's commitment to providing affordable, high-quality postsecondary education while enhancing institutional effectiveness. It emphasizes the importance of continuous improvement to stay relevant and focused on stakeholders' needs, including students, alumni, and the community. The plan guides the college's progress toward its goals, ensuring alignment with its mission and purpose.swmich.edu
Frequently asked questions about Southwestern Michigan College
Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Southwestern Michigan College.
What is the graduation rate at Southwestern Michigan College?
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What is the average net price at Southwestern Michigan College?
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Who runs Institutional Research at Southwestern Michigan College?
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