Southwestern Illinois College

What Southwestern Illinois College does

Southwestern Illinois College (SWIC) is a public community college founded in 1946, operating as part of Illinois Community College District 522 and headquartered in Belleville, Illinois. The institution delivers higher education and workforce training through seven physical sites spanning southwestern Illinois, including the Belleville main campus, Sam Wolf Granite City Campus, Red Bud Campus, East St. Louis Higher Education Center, Scott Air Force Base site, Fire Science Campus, and the Southwestern Illinois Police Academy. SWIC serves traditional college students, adult and non-traditional learners, high school dual-enrollment students, and university transfer students through Associate in Arts/Science transfer degrees, career/technical certificates, adult education and literacy programs, and specialized workforce academies.

The college's technology infrastructure relies on third-party platforms: D2L Brightspace serves as the learning management system for online and hybrid course delivery, Microsoft Teams supports collaboration, and the eSTORM portal handles enrollment and administrative services. SWIC's product portfolio includes the $20 million Manufacturing Academy (opened 2024 with a $7.5 million state grant) offering certificates in automation, additive manufacturing, and mold-making, the West Star Aviation Academy (founded January 2024 in partnership with West Star Aviation) providing paid apprenticeships for Aircraft Maintenance Technicians, transfer degree pathways with articulation agreements to 75+ four-year institutions including a new agribusiness pathway with McKendree University (Fall 2026), and the Fine & Performing Arts Department hosting the SWICarts festival.

SWIC's revenue model combines per-credit-hour tuition (starting Fall 2026: $145 in-district, $240 Illinois out-of-district, $236 out-of-state) with mandatory technology and student services fees ($6 and $3 per credit hour, respectively), supplemented by state funding allocations, local property tax revenue, and competitive grants. The college distributes its services through direct enrollment at physical campuses and self-serve online enrollment via Brightspace, recruiting students through its official website, virtual tours, college fairs hosting 75+ institutions, high school dual-enrollment partnerships, and articulation agreements with regional universities. SWIC is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and does not disclose revenue publicly.

Name

Southwestern Illinois College

Legal name

Southwestern Illinois College

Website

https://swic.edu

Company type

Public

Founded year

1946

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Southwestern Illinois College is a public community college in Belleville, Illinois, offering Associate degrees, career certificates, and workforce training across seven campuses in southwestern Illinois, serving traditional students, adult learners, and university transfer students.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community College Education

NAICS

Junior Colleges (6112), Technical and Trade Schools (6115)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Community Colleges (EDAHADAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Junior Colleges (Associate-Degree Granting) (EDAHADAC), University/College Continuing Education (Extension) Programs (EDAAAEAA)

Keywords

• Community college education
• Associate degree programs
• Career technical training
• Workforce development certificates
• Transfer degree pathways

Headquarters

HQ city

Belleville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Tuition and Fees: The college generates revenue primarily through tuition charges per credit hour, with different rates for in-district, out-of-district, and out-of-state students. Additional revenue comes from mandatory fees including technology fees and student services fees.
2. State Funding and Grants: As a public community college, SWIC receives state funding from Illinois and grants including the $7.5 million state grant for the manufacturing academy.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Southwestern Illinois College is a public community college providing associate transfer degrees, career and technical certificates, workforce training academies (including manufacturing and aviation maintenance), adult education, and community education across multiple campuses and online. It sells enrollment in credit courses and non-credit programs to individual students and apprentices, with tuition charged per credit hour by residency tier, supplemented by state appropriations and grants.

Product overview

Southwestern Illinois College is a community college offering a comprehensive portfolio of educational programs across multiple delivery formats. The institution operates as a multi-campus system (Belleville, Granite City, Red Bud, Scott Air Force Base, East St. Louis) providing Associate degrees, career certificates, and workforce training. Key programs include the Manufacturing Academy (offering automation, additive manufacturing, and mold-making certificates), West Star Aviation Academy (aircraft maintenance technician apprenticeship), and the Fine & Performing Arts Department. The college provides transfer pathways to four-year universities, career/technical education, and online learning through Brightspace LMS. The institution serves approximately 80 years of operation with articulation agreements with numerous universities and partnerships with industry employers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Associate in Arts/Science Transfer Degrees Transfer-oriented associate degree programs designed for students planning to complete a bachelor's degree at a four-year institution, with articulation agreements with numerous public and private universities.
• Career Degrees and Certificates

Quantifiable outcome

• Students pay less than half the national average for public and private university tuition.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• McKendree UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 February 2026SWIC partnered with McKendree University to create an agribusiness transfer pathway. Students complete their first two years of agriculture-related coursework at SWIC before transferring directly to McKendree to earn a Bachelor of Science in Agribusiness. The program launches Fall 2026, with students able to enroll in qualifying coursework ahead of the launch date.
• West Star AviationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024West Star Aviation Academy was founded as a partnership between West Star Aviation and Southwestern Illinois College in January 2024. The program combines paid apprenticeship with academic coursework and hands-on training using Falcon Jet aircraft. The academy achieved 100% graduation rate with 25 graduates qualified to test for FAA Airframe certification. 85% of graduates come from various states outside Illinois.
• General MachineminorOthersGeneral Machine is a local manufacturing company that hosted industry tours during the Project MFG National Machining League Championship event held at Southwestern Illinois College.
• Chelar Tool & DieminorOthersChelar Tool & Die hosted industry tours during the Project MFG National Machining League Championship event held at Southwestern Illinois College.
• HydromatminorOthersHydromat hosted industry tours during the Project MFG National Machining League Championship event held at Southwestern Illinois College.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Lewis and Clark Community College: Public community college in Godfrey, Illinois, serving a similar southwestern Illinois / Metro East region. Directly comparable public two-year institution with overlapping service geography and comparable programmatic offerings.
• Kaskaskia College: Public community college in Centralia, Illinois, offering associate degrees, transfer pathways, and workforce training. Comparable size, mission, and public community college model within the Illinois Community College System.
• Rend Lake College: Public community college in Ina, Illinois, serving southern Illinois with associate degrees and technical certificates. Same state system, similar funding structure, and overlapping transfer and workforce missions.
• Southeastern Illinois College: Public community college in Harrisburg, Illinois, offering associate degrees, transfer pathways, and career/technical programs. Comparable rural-serving Illinois community college with multi-campus structure.
• John A. Logan College: Public community college in Carterville, Illinois, serving the southern Illinois region. Comparable in size, mission, and program mix including workforce development and transfer pathways.
• Parkland College: Public community college in Champaign, Illinois, offering associate degrees, career/technical education, and workforce training. Comparable public community college serving a similar regional Illinois student population.
• Heartland Community College: Public community college in Normal, Illinois, offering associate degrees, transfer, and career/technical programs. Comparable mid-size Illinois public community college with similar governance and funding structure.

Regional players

• McKendree University: Private four-year university in Lebanon, Illinois, with which SWIC has a formal agribusiness transfer pathway partnership. Comparable because McKendree is the destination institution for SWIC transfer students and shares overlapping service geography in southwestern Illinois.
• St. Louis Community College: Public community college system in St. Louis, Missouri, across the river from SWIC's Illinois service area. Comparable as a multi-campus public community college serving the same metropolitan labor market; competes for some Missouri-resident students in border communities.
• Illinois Central College: Public community college in Peoria, Illinois, offering associate degrees, transfer, and career/technical programs. Comparable mid-size Illinois public community college with similar workforce and transfer missions, though operating in a different region of the state.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/swicedu
• Facebookfacebook.com/90327354836
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/southwestern-illinois-college

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Southwestern Illinois College