SOWELA Technical Community College Overview
SOWELA Technical Community College is a public institution located in Lake Charles, Louisiana. The city atmosphere of Lake Charles makes it a great place for students who enjoy having lots of educational and entertainment options.
What Is SOWELA Technical Community College Known For?
- Students at SOWELA have an easier time paying back their loans. The school's student loan default rate is only 4%, compared to the national rate of 10.1%.
- The associate's degree is the highest award offered at SOWELA.
- In 2017-2018, 53% of the faculty were full-time.
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SOWELA Technical Community College Rankings
Our rankings are based on an outcomes-based approach rather than subjective ones used by other media outlets. As such, we utilize data from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) and the College Scorecard, among other sources. Visit our rankings and methodology section to learn more.
Program Level Awards
These are highlights of some of the most noteworthy awards granted to specific programs at SOWELA.
Where Is SOWELA Technical Community College?

Contact details for SOWELA are given below.
Contact Details | |
---|---|
Address: | 3820 Senator J. Bennett Johnston Ave, Lake Charles, LA 70615 |
Phone: | 337-421-6565 |
Website: | www.sowela.edu |
How Do I Get Into SOWELA?
You can apply to SOWELA online at: www.sowela.edu/admissions/how-to-enroll/application/
Can I Afford SOWELA Technical Community College?
Student Loan Debt
While almost two-thirds of students nationwide take out loans to pay for college, the percentage may be quite different for the school you plan on attending. At SOWELA, approximately 3% of students took out student loans averaging $4,889 a year. That adds up to $19,556 over four years for those students.
The student loan default rate at SOWELA is 4.5%. This is significantly lower than the national default rate of 10.1%, which is a good sign that you'll be able to pay back your student loans.
SOWELA Technical Community College Undergraduate Student Diversity

Gender Diversity
Of the 1,796 full-time undergraduates at SOWELA, 49% are male and 51% are female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity
The racial-ethnic breakdown of SOWELA Technical Community College students is as follows.

Race/Ethnicity | Number of Grads |
---|---|
Asian | 10 |
Black or African American | 433 |
Hispanic or Latino | 57 |
White | 1,180 |
International Students | 9 |
Other Races/Ethnicities | 107 |
Over 10 countries are represented at SOWELA. The most popular countries sending students to the school are India, Vietnam, and Nepal.
Online Learning at SOWELA Technical Community College
The following chart shows how the online learning population at SOWELA has changed over the last few years.

This school is the 28th most popular in Louisiana for online learning according to the online graduations recorded by the Department of Education for the academic year 2017-2018.
Online Growth Rankings of SOWELA
The average growth rate over the last four years of online students at SOWELA Technical Community College was 25.8%. This is the #775 largest growth rate of all schools that are only partially online. This refers to all students at SOWELA regardless of major.
The following table shows the 1-year growth rate of SOWELA majors that offer at least one online course. This table only includes majors with positive growth.
Major | 1-Year Growth Rate |
---|---|
Business, Management & Marketing | 39% |
Culinary Arts | 11% |
Personal & Culinary Services | 11% |
When we speak of partially online, we are referring to schools whose online population is less than 50% of its total student body. Mostly online refers to those with online populations greater than or equal to 50%.
SOWELA Technical Community College Undergraduate Concentrations
The table below shows the number of awards for each concentration.
References
*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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