Florida SouthWestern State College

What Florida SouthWestern State College does

Florida SouthWestern State College (FSW) is a public state college within the Florida College System, serving Southwest Florida through four campus locations in Fort Myers (Lee Campus), Punta Gorda (Charlotte Campus), Naples (Collier Campus), and LaBelle (Hendry/Glades Center). The institution, founded in 1962 as Edison Junior College and rebranded to its current name in 2014 when it gained state college status, offers associate degrees, bachelor's degrees, and certificate programs to traditional students, adult learners, dual-enrolled 6th-12th graders, and military-affiliated students. Its core technology stack is built around Canvas LMS for online course delivery, Ellucian Cloud for student information, Parchment for transcripts, QLess for service queueing, and FloridaShines for cross-institutional enrollment, with accessibility standards targeting WCAG 2.1 Level AA and Section 508 compliance.

FSW's business model is a hybrid of public funding and tuition revenue. The institution is primarily financed through state appropriations, tuition and fees, and local property taxes, with no private equity or external ownership. Tuition has remained unchanged since 2014 at approximately half the cost of average Florida state universities, with 78% of graduates finishing debt-free. Auxiliary revenue streams include Corporate & Community Education (workforce training, AHA CPR/First Aid courses through its Authorized Training Center), a low-cost Dental Hygiene Clinic offering pediatric cleanings at $30 and adult cleanings at $50, and grant-funded programs such as the U.S. Department of Transportation HazMat Safety Conference. The institution reaches students through direct admissions, dual-enrollment high school partnerships, transfer articulation agreements with FGCU, FAMU, New College of Florida, WGU, and Excelsior University, and a multi-channel presence spanning the fsw.edu website, social platforms, Medium blog, open houses, and campus tours.

Name

Florida SouthWestern State College

Legal name

Florida SouthWestern State College

Website

https://fsw.edu

Company type

Public

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Florida SouthWestern State College is a public state college in the Florida College System offering associate and bachelor's degrees, certificates, and workforce training across four campuses in Southwest Florida. It serves traditional, adult, dual-enrolled, and military-affiliated students with tuition held flat since 2014.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education / Community College

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Junior Colleges (61121)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Community Colleges (EDAHADAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Transfer/University-Parallel Community Colleges (EDAHADAF), Technical Community Colleges (Applied/CTE-Focused) (EDAHADAD)

Keywords

• Higher education
• Community college
• Associate degrees
• Workforce training
• Online learning

Headquarters

HQ city

Fort Myers

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 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: Revenue generated from tuition for credit-bearing programs including associate degrees, bachelor's degrees, and certificates. In-state tuition is approximately half the cost of average Florida state universities with tuition unchanged since 2014.
2. Continuing Education and Community Programs: Revenue from non-credit workforce education, professional development courses, corporate training, and community education programs including CPR/First Aid courses through AHA Authorized Training Center.
3. Clinical Services: Low-cost dental hygiene services provided by students under faculty supervision at the Dental Hygiene Clinic, generating nominal fees for cleanings, exams, and X-rays.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Florida SouthWestern State College is a public state college in the Florida College System offering associate degrees, bachelor's degrees, and certificate programs across multiple campuses in Southwest Florida. The college provides in-person and online instruction, workforce training through Corporate & Community Education, clinical services through the Dental Hygiene Clinic, and comprehensive student support services. All online programs have achieved Quality Matters Program Certification, with the Criminal Justice Technology program earning Exemplary Program status.

Product overview

Florida SouthWestern State College (FSW) is a multi-campus state college offering associate degrees, bachelor's degrees, and certificate programs across Southwest Florida. The institution provides a portfolio of academic programs including Quality Matters-certified online programs, healthcare education (Dental Hygiene), and workforce training (AHA CPR/First Aid, HazMat Safety). FSW supports students through comprehensive services including the Early Alert intervention system, Care Pantry for food insecurity, mental health services via Centerstone partnership, and academic advising. Administrative services include transcript ordering through Parchment, reverse transfer degree awarding, and registration management. The college operates four campuses (Lee, Charlotte, Collier, Hendry/Glades) and maintains online program certification through Quality Matters standards.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• 78% of graduates finish debt-free
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• U.S. Department of TransportationOthers · 12 February 2026HazMat Safety Consulting hosted a free HazMat Safety conference at FSW Lee Campus funded by a DOT Hazardous Materials Instructor Training grant.
• Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDestination FGCU transfer program provides FSW students with tools and guidance for seamless transition from associate degree to bachelor's degree at FGCU. Includes in-person and remote navigator meetings at FSW campus and transfer pathway guides for every major.
• Florida A&M University (FAMU)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFAMU Ignite transfer program connects FSW students with resources and special opportunities to transfer from associate degree to Florida A&M University.
• New College of FloridaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTransfer pathway for FSW students to continue bachelor's degree at New College of Florida, offering small campus environment and personalized education.
• Western Governors University (WGU)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOnline, competency-based bachelor's and master's degrees in business, education, IT and healthcare with flexible, self-paced model for FSW graduates.
• Excelsior UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOnline accredited degree completion options for FSW graduates with over 200,000 alumni and innovative educational opportunities.
• American Heart Association (AHA)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFSW is an AHA Authorized Training Center providing CPR and First Aid courses to the Southwest Florida community.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• St. Petersburg College: Florida College System state college with similar dual-enrollment, transfer, and online programs; comparable tuition structure and bachelor's degree portfolio.
• Polk State College: Florida state college with the same associate-to-bachelor's mix, veteran/military-friendly designation, and transfer pathways into Florida's public university system.
• Indian River State College: Public Florida state college with parallel baccalaureate-granting authority, workforce credentials, and transfer-articulation agreements with state universities.
• Hillsborough Community College: Large Florida College System institution with comparable academic, workforce, and dual-enrollment programming; serves a different but structurally similar regional market.
• Broward College: Large multi-campus Florida state college with similar online, dual-enrollment, workforce, and transfer-articulation programs at scale.
• Santa Fe College: Florida College System institution with comparable affordability positioning, transfer-program emphasis, and baccalaureate offerings in select fields.
• Palm Beach State College: Florida College System peer with parallel bachelor's degree authority, workforce training portfolio, and university transfer agreements.
• State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota: Closest geographic peer — a Florida College System state college serving the adjacent Manatee-Sarasota market with similar associate-to-baccalaureate offerings, tuition profile, and transfer-partner strategy.

Others

• Edison State Community College (Ohio): Community college sharing the 'Edison' heritage in its prior institutional namesakes; structurally comparable public two-year institution, included only because of historical naming lineage — not a direct competitor.

Broad incumbents

• Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU): The primary four-year transfer destination in SW Florida; not a direct competitor but the dominant full-university incumbent in FSW's service area and core Destination FGCU partner.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/flsouthwestern
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCaZsnJjDiPfmnb3AR8sn5AQ/videos
• Facebookfacebook.com/FSWCollege
• Instagraminstagram.com/fswcollege
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/florida-southwestern-state-college-151029

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments1 record

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

Frequently asked questions about Florida SouthWestern State College