Southwestern College is a public community college in Chula Vista, California. It was founded in 1961. It is part of the Southwestern Community College District, itself a part of the California Community Colleges system. It has an enrollment of 25,228 across all its campuses within San Diego County, as of 2023. It is accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges.
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History
The school opened as Southwestern Junior College in 1961 with William Kepley as its president. The dean of admissions was Saxon Wright. The Chula Vista Star-News reported that 15 students had registered within the first half hour the dean of admission's office was open, with Oliver Pittenger, a graduate of the nearby Chula Vista High School being the first person to enroll.
In 2022–2023, enrollment exceeded 25,000 students across all campuses.
Academics
The campus is a feeder school for students hoping to transfer to the two local public universities, the University of California, San Diego and San Diego State University, and also private institutions.
In 2021, Southwestern was chosen as one of the eight campuses in the state to offer a "competency-based" associate's degree program without the need for grades or mandatory attendance on the student's part. Southwestern chose auto tech to be the degree they offer under this program.
Specialty programs
In August 2025, Southwestern College partnered with the Sweetwater Union High School District to establish the Options Middle College High School (OMCHS), a WASC-accredited public high school located on the Southwestern College campus in Chula Vista. With an inaugural class of 55 students in grades 11–12. It is the first high school in the South Bay region to be located on a college campus. The program allows students to earn college credit from Southwestern College while completing their high school diploma.
Athletics
Southwestern College is a founding member of the Pacific Coast Athletic Conference (PCAC) and competes in 11 intercollegiate sports, including:
Baseball
Basketball
Southwestern Jaguars football
Cross country
Soccer
Softball
Tennis
Track and field
Water polo
Volleyball
Swimming and diving
The college's athletic teams are known as the Jaguars. From 1961 until 2001, the teams were represented by the Apaches mascot.
Southwestern College's football stadium also serves as the home field for Bonita Vista High School football games.
Facilities
The campus features a variety of athletic facilities, including:
Artificial turf football field
Half-size artificial turf practice field
Baseball stadium
Dirt running track
Soccer field
Softball field
Football stadium with weight room overlooking the field
Indoor swimming pool
Basketball gymnasium
Five full-size tennis courts
Many of these facilities are also utilized during the week and weekends as youth soccer fields for players aged 6–18.