Southern City Colleges

What Southern City Colleges does

Southern City Colleges (Southern City Colleges Inc.) is a privately held, family-controlled educational institution headquartered in Zamboanga City, Philippines, founded on May 9, 1946, by Francisco M. Caliolio Sr. Originally established as Southern Academy offering vocational courses in Typewriting, Stenography, and Bookkeeping, the institution has evolved into a multi-level education provider operating three campuses (Central, West, East) across Zamboanga City. The school delivers programs spanning Junior High School (Grades 7-10), Senior High School (Grades 11-12), seven tertiary departments (Criminology, Business Management, Education and Liberal Arts, Computing Studies, Civil Engineering, Allied Medicine, and Technical Education), a specialized SCC School of Aviation, and TESDA-certified vocational courses including Practical Nursing and Care Giving NC II.

The core technology stack consists of third-party educational platforms — Schoology LMS and the Genyo E-Learning Platform — supplemented by online and modular learning systems for distance education delivery. No proprietary technology, AI capabilities, or data infrastructure are evident. The institution generates revenue primarily through tuition fees across undergraduate, graduate, and vocational programs, with supplementary revenue from TESDA-certified short courses. Pricing includes financial assistance mechanisms such as the "STUDY NOW, PAY LATER" program (launched during COVID-19) and a 50% tuition discount for working students pursuing the BS Midwifery degree. The student body is drawn primarily from Zamboanga City and the broader Region IX (Zamboanga del Sur, Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga Sibugay, Dapitan, Dipolog, Pagadian, and Basilan). Leadership is concentrated within the Caliolio family, with Dr. Edwin M. Caliolio serving as School President.

Name

Southern City Colleges

Legal name

Southern City Colleges Inc.

Website

https://scci.edu.ph

Company type

Private

Founded year

1946

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Southern City Colleges is a private, family-controlled Philippine educational institution founded in 1946 in Zamboanga City, operating three campuses that deliver junior high, senior high, undergraduate, and TESDA vocational programs across seven academic departments, serving students from the Zamboanga Peninsula region.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (611310), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (61131), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111), Technical and Trade Schools (6115)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Private/Independent Community & Junior Colleges (EDAHADAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Comprehensive Community Colleges (Transfer + Workforce) (EDAHADAE)

Keywords

• Higher education services
• Vocational training programs
• Tertiary education
• Secondary education
• Technical vocational education

Headquarters

HQ city

Zamboanga City

HQ country

Philippines

HQ region

Asia

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Tuition and Academic Fees: Southern City Colleges generates revenue primarily through tuition fees from its degree programs including BS Accountancy, BS Business Administration, BS Criminology, BS Nursing, BS Midwifery, and others. The institution also offers technical/vocational courses through TESDA partnerships.
2. Technical/Vocational Training: Revenue from TESDA-certified courses including Practical Nursing (2 years), Care Giving NC II (6 months), and other vocational programs offered through the Department of Allied Medicine.
3. Continuing Education Programs: Revenue from continuing education programs such as the Bachelor of Science in Midwifery for registered midwives, with 50% discount for working students.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Southern City Colleges is a private educational institution offering secondary, tertiary, and technical-vocational programs. It delivers degree programs across multiple academic departments including criminology, business, education, engineering, and healthcare, alongside TESDA-certified vocational courses. The school supports flexible learning through online enrollment, modular modalities, and an LMS-based e-learning environment.

Product overview

Southern City Colleges is an educational institution founded in 1946 in Zamboanga City, Philippines. It offers a comprehensive range of academic programs organized into multiple college departments (Criminology, Business Management, Education and Liberal Arts, Computing Studies, Civil Engineering, Allied Medicine, and Technical Education) along with Senior High School, Junior High School, and a specialized School of Aviation. The institution also provides student financial support services including the STUDY NOW, PAY LATER program and scholarship opportunities. The college has evolved from its origins as Southern Academy offering vocational courses in Typewriting, Stenography, and Bookkeeping to a full-fledged higher education institution.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SCC School of Aviation: Aviation school division of Southern City Colleges offering aviation-related programs.

Products and services

• Secondary Education Program
• Tertiary Undergraduate Degree Programs
• TESDA Technical-Vocational Courses

Quantifiable outcome

• Department of Criminology produced hundreds of graduates working in law enforcement, academia, and security
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• WELAcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorWELA serves as the online enrollment platform partner for Southern City Colleges, providing digital enrollment services through https://scccares.wela.ph/. This partnership enables remote student registration and enrollment processing, expanding access beyond physical campus locations.
• TESDA (Technical Education and Skills Development Authority)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSouthern City Colleges partners with TESDA to offer free skills training, assessment, and certification programs. The institution provides TESDA Technology Institutions (TTIs) for skills training related to construction, maintenance and repair, and information technology sectors. This includes Practical Nursing (2 years) and Care Giving NC II (6 months) courses.
• CHED (Commission on Higher Education)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCHED is the regulatory body overseeing higher education in the Philippines. Southern City Colleges maintains compliance with CHED regulations and participates in CHED programs. CHED topped OCTA ratings as best performing government agency with 80% satisfaction rating.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• National University (Philippines): Private university network in the Philippines offering multi-disciplinary undergraduate and graduate programs across multiple campuses. Comparable in academic structure but operates at significantly larger scale with broader geographic presence and stronger institutional branding than Southern City Colleges.
• STI Education Services Group: Large publicly-listed private education group in the Philippines operating a nationwide network of STI colleges focused on computing, business, and technical-vocational programs. Represents a broader, better-capitalized competitor with stronger digital infrastructure and brand recognition across multiple Philippine regions.
• Lyceum of the Philippines University: Private university network with Manila flagship and multiple branches across the Philippines, offering undergraduate and graduate programs including allied medicine, business, and engineering. Comparable broad-spectrum private university operator with deeper resources and stronger national brand than Southern City Colleges.
• De La Salle University: Top-tier private research university in Manila and broader Philippines, operating multiple campuses and offering undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs. Represents the aspirational competitor — the institution many Southern City Colleges students might consider for prestige, illustrating the competitive ceiling SCC faces.

Regional players

• Notre Dame University - Cotabato: Private Catholic university in Cotabato City (Region XII) offering undergraduate and graduate programs with similar multi-departmental structure. Comparable private regional university in adjacent Mindanao geography serving similar student demographics, though based in a different region.
• University of San Carlos: Private Catholic university in Cebu offering comprehensive undergraduate and graduate programs with strong regional brand. Comparable private regional Philippine university with similar multi-departmental structure and similar student demographic, though based in Central Visayas rather than Mindanao.
• Holy Cross of Davao College: Private Catholic college in Davao City (Region XI) offering undergraduate programs in business, education, allied health, and computing. Comparable private regional college in adjacent Mindanao geography serving similar student demographics, providing a benchmark for SCC's positioning.

Direct peers

• Ateneo de Zamboanga University: Jesuit private university in Zamboanga City offering undergraduate and graduate programs across liberal arts, business, education, and health sciences. Competes directly with Southern City Colleges for students in Region IX, particularly for college-bound and basic education segments.
• Western Mindanao State University: Public state university in Zamboanga City offering a broad range of undergraduate and graduate programs. While publicly funded, it competes with Southern City Colleges for the same regional student pool and offers overlapping academic departments including education, business, and engineering.
• Universidad de Zamboanga: Private university headquartered in Zamboanga City offering multi-disciplinary undergraduate and graduate programs. Direct competitor in the same city and regional market as Southern City Colleges, competing for the same student segments across business, education, and healthcare disciplines.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutu.be/REHLH3QAu60
• Facebookfacebook.com/scc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/southern-city-colleges

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Southern City Colleges