Southwestern College announces strategic partnership with Arizona State University

Southwestern College is collaborating with national powerhouse Arizona State University to offer university credits at Southwestern College starting next fall.  

The collaboration has been confirmed in a recent announcement, as the Chula Vista-based community college continues to expand its strategic approach in offering potential students a more accessible path toward a Bachelor’s degree. 

A Chief of Staff to the Superintendent/President at SWC has told ChulaVistaToday that it was ASU who first reached out to Southwestern for a potential collaboration earlier this year due to the community college’s space availability to accommodate such programs at the Chula Vista campus. 

The type of courses that will be offered is yet to be announced, but SWC officials say ASU will soon contact the community college to identify which degree programs will be available as soon as next fall. The courses are expected to be only in-person for now. 

The Tempe-based college powerhouse joins San Diego State University, Point Loma Nazarene University, and National University as partners of SWC to offer university courses without having to leave the community college. 

Southwestern College released the following statement to ChulaVistaToday:

“Chula Vista high school students can enroll in Southwestern Colleges while in high school. Last year, we had a student at commencement graduating with her associate degree and one week later graduated at her high school. High school students who complete their SWC coursework prior or at the time of graduating high school can transfer to ASU (or any university partner) to complete their last two years of college for their bachelor’s degree. This saves students time and money.”

The community college also says that by bringing more university partners to SWC, local college students will have a clear and accessible transfer pathway to fulfill their educational goals without leaving their hometown, which is ultimately one of the main objectives of this collaboration. 

Robert Moreno is a born-and-raised Southbay local who graduated from Southwestern College before eventually transferring to SDSU, and now he’s part of the SWC Governing Board.

Moreno says that this collaboration will not only help students transfer to a 4-year university, but it will also save local students a lot of money while fulfilling their academic objectives.

“Take your time deciding which college to attend,” Moreno said. “If you have any doubt, community colleges like Southwestern College are a great way to go financially and academically. The more options we provide our students, the fewer reasons they have to leave our communities.”