The school opened as Southwestern Junior College in 1961 with William Kepley as its president. The dean of admissions was Saxon Wright. The Chula Vista Star-News reported 15 students had registered within the first half hour the dean of admission's office was open, with Oliver Pittenger, a graduate of the nearby Chula Vista High School being the first person to enroll.[1][4]
In 2022-2023, enrollment exceeded 25,000 students across all campuses.
In 2021, Southwestern was chosen as one of the eight campuses in the state to offer a "competency-based" associate's degree program without the need for grades or mandatory attendance on the student's part. Southwestern chose auto tech to be the degree they offer under this program.[5]
Athletics
Southwestern College is in the Pacific Coast Athletic Conference, of which they were founding members,[6] and competes in 11 sports which include:
Baseball
Basketball
Football
Cross Country
Soccer
Softball
Tennis
Track and Field
Water Polo
Volleyball
Swim and Dive
From 1961 until 2001, the Southwestern College mascot was the "Apaches"
- dirt track
- soccer field
- softball field
- Football stadium with weight room looking over the field
- indoor swimming pool
- basketball gym
- Five full-size tennis courts
During the week and weekends these fields double as youth soccer fields from ages 6–18.
