Southwest University

What Southwest University does

Southwest University is a private post-secondary education institution headquartered at 6101 Montana Avenue in El Paso, Texas, operating a main campus and a Diesel/Auto campus, with an online distance-education footprint enabled by NC-SARA state reciprocity. Founded circa 2001 and celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2025-2026, the university delivers career-oriented certificate, associate, bachelor, and master's programs organized across seven colleges: Education, Digital Technology, Trade Technology, Business, Nursing, Allied Health, and Imaging Sciences, plus a Culinary Institute sub-brand. Programs range from 9-month certificates (medical assisting, welding) to 36-month bachelor's degrees and 24-month graduate degrees, with hybrid and fully online delivery supported by the proprietary SU Learning platform, a Microsoft 365-based institutional stack, a mobile application with Firebase notifications and Google Analytics, and an online student verification and schedule management system.

The institution serves a diverse student base primarily composed of working adults and career changers in the El Paso/Ciudad Juárez region, alongside military personnel and veterans using VA benefits (Chapters 30, 31, 33, 35, Tuition Assistance, MyCAA), international F-1 visa students, and employees of partner organizations. Revenue is generated primarily through tuition and fees for degree and certificate programs, supplemented by federal financial aid processing (FAFSA, Pell Grants, SEOG, institutional merit scholarships) and discounted tuition offered through 11+ documented academic and employer partnerships, including Hospital Housekeeping Systems (HHS), University Medical Center of El Paso, Artesia General Hospital, City of El Paso, Anthony ISD, IDEA Public Schools, and Ysleta Del Sur Pueblo. Programs start every six weeks under partnership agreements, and dedicated partnership-branded admissions channels route employees into online and select hybrid programs.

The institution is independently operated (no parent company or disclosed investor ownership) and led by President Ben Arriola Jr. Its competitive position rests on an unusually dense stack of programmatic and institutional accreditations — ABHES (through February 2029), CCNE (nursing), IACBE (business), JRCERT 8-year award (radiography), ARRT, ASCP, AMT, JCAHPO, NHA testing approval, and SBEC/TEA educator approval — together with regional employer partnerships, a 79% retention rate (2023-2024), and multiple program-specific directors and deans spanning nursing, surgical technology, imaging modalities, business, trades, and culinary arts.

Name

Southwest University

Legal name

Southwest University At El Paso

Website

https://southwestuniversity.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Southwest University is a private post-secondary institution in El Paso, Texas, delivering career-focused certificate, associate, bachelor's, and master's programs across healthcare, nursing, business, imaging, trades, education, and technology, serving working adults, military veterans, international students, and employees of regional employer partners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

El Paso

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Tuition and Fees: Degree and certificate programs with tuition breakdown available through Gainful Employment disclosures. Programs range from certificate programs to graduate degrees with varying durations (9 months to 36 months).
2. Financial Aid Processing: FAFSA-based federal student aid including Pell Grants, SEOG, and institutional merit scholarships. Award notifications mailed 3-6 weeks after receipt of Student Aid Report.
3. Military Education Benefits: VA-approved degree programs accepting Chapter 30, 31, 33, 35 benefits, Tuition Assistance, and MyCAA for military spouses.
4. Employer Partnership Programs: Discounted tuition rates for verified employees of academic partner organizations including HHS, Artesia General Hospital, University Medical Center, and other partner facilities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Southwest University is a private post-secondary educational institution offering certificate, associate, bachelor's, and master's degree programs across seven specialized colleges: Nursing, Allied Health, Business, Education, Digital Technology, Trade Technology, and Imaging Sciences, plus a Culinary Institute and Graduate Programs. Programs range from 9-month certificates to 36-month degrees and are delivered through on-campus, 100% online, and hybrid formats, with multiple programmatic accreditations (ABHES, CCNE, IACBE, JRCERT).

Product overview

Southwest University is a higher education institution offering a diverse portfolio of academic programs across multiple specialized colleges. The university operates as a platform-plus-modules model, with core academic colleges providing degree programs from certificate to master's level. The main colleges include Education, Digital Technology, Trade Technology, Business, Nursing, Allied Health, and Imaging Sciences, each offering targeted career-focused programs. The institution also maintains strategic partnerships including an HHS partnership program for healthcare support workers and articulation agreements with academic partners like University Medical Center of El Paso. Programs range from 9-month certificates to 3-year bachelor's degrees and 24-month graduate programs, with many available both on-campus and online. The university holds multiple programmatic accreditations including ABHES, CCNE, IACBE, and JRCERT.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Culinary Institute: A culinary arts program offering Associate of Applied Science in Culinary Arts, operating under the Southwest University umbrella at culinaryinstitute.southwestuniversity.edu.

Products and services

• College of Nursing

Quantifiable outcome

• 79% retention rate (2023-2024)

Named customers1 record

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• HHS (Hospital Housekeeping Systems)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHHS LLC has partnered with Southwest University to make college degrees achievable for all team members and employees of partner facilities. Discounted tuition for all online programs and select hybrid programs available to verified HHS team members and partner facility employees. Programs start every 6 weeks with dedicated academic advising support.
• Artesia General HospitalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerArtesia General Hospital partnered with Southwest University to help make college degrees achievable for all team members. Discounted tuition available for verified team members across all online programs and select hybrid programs.
• University Medical Center of El Paso (UMC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity Medical Center of El Paso partnered with Southwest University for employee education benefits. Discounted tuition available for verified team members. Partnership includes hybrid/residential programs in nursing, surgical technology, dental assisting, and trades.
• West Texas Pain InstituteminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWest Texas Pain Institute partnered with Southwest University for employee education benefits. Discounted tuition available for verified team members across all online programs and select hybrid programs.
• Imaging and Interventional SpecialistminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerImaging and Interventional Specialist partnered with Southwest University for employee education benefits. Discounted tuition available for verified team members.
• Vista Hills Family DentalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVista Hills Family Dental partnered with Southwest University for employee education benefits. Discounted tuition available for verified team members.
• Anthony Independent School District (Anthony ISD)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnthony ISD partnered with Southwest University for employee education benefits. Discounted tuition available for verified team members across all online programs and select hybrid programs.
• Centro de Salud Familiar La FeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCentro de Salud Familiar La Fe partnered with Southwest University for employee education benefits. Discounted tuition available for verified team members.
• City of El PasocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCity of El Paso partnered with Southwest University to make college degrees achievable for all City of El Paso team members. Discounted tuition available for verified employees across all online programs and select hybrid programs.
• IDEA Public School El PasominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIDEA Public School El Paso partnered with Southwest University for employee education benefits. Discounted tuition available for verified team members.
• Ysleta Del Sur PueblominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerYsleta Del Sur Pueblo partnered with Southwest University to make college degrees achievable for all team members. Discounted tuition available for verified employees.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• South University: Private, for-profit university offering associate through doctoral programs with strong healthcare, business, and technology focus. Closely comparable to Southwest University in proprietary model, programmatic mix, and reliance on employer and military student pipelines.
• ECPI University: Career-focused private university with accelerated programs in health sciences, nursing, technology, and business. Directly comparable in mission, accelerated-format offering, and target adult learner population.
• Concorde Career Colleges: Proprietary healthcare-focused career college network with associate and diploma programs in nursing, dental, imaging, and allied health. Highly comparable in program mix, healthcare focus, and target student segments.
• The College of Health Care Professions (CHCP): Texas-based proprietary health career college with multiple campuses, offering associate and certificate programs in nursing, dental, imaging, and medical assisting. Comparable in proprietary Texas footprint and healthcare-heavy program portfolio.
• Pima Medical Institute: Private career college with multi-state campuses focused on allied health, nursing, and veterinary programs. Comparable in proprietary model, healthcare vocational focus, and target adult learner demographic.
• Carrington College: Proprietary career college offering certificate, associate, and bachelor's programs primarily in healthcare fields. Comparable in proprietary structure, healthcare-led curriculum, and reliance on Title IV and military funding.
• Arizona College: Private career college with campuses in multiple states offering accelerated healthcare programs (nursing, dental, medical assisting). Comparable in proprietary model, accelerated healthcare program formats, and career-focused mission.

Regional players

• El Paso Community College: Public community college district serving the same El Paso market. Competes with Southwest University on price and program offerings but as a public institution with state subsidy; overlapping student demographics in healthcare, business, and trade pathways.
• Texas Southmost College: Public community college in Brownsville, Texas offering associate degrees and workforce programs. Regional comparable for the South Texas border-market dynamics, though operating with public sector scale and pricing.

Broad incumbents

• Herzing University: Larger private nonprofit university with multi-state online and on-campus programs focused heavily on nursing, healthcare, and business. Competes in the same NC-SARA online nursing and healthcare administration segments as Southwest University.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/swuniversity
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCYOLSpOGHwOg-HacXyl2XaQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/SouthwestUniversityatElPaso
• Instagraminstagram.com/southwestuniversity
• TikToktiktok.com/@southwest_university
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/southwest-university-at-el-paso

Compliance12 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles29 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

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 Southwest University