SOWELA vs Riverland Community College

SOWELA Technical Community College and Riverland Community College, both esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer diverse educational opportunities to students seeking a solid foundation for their future careers. While they share a commitment to academic excellence, these colleges exhibit distinct characteristics that cater to different student needs. SOWELA, located in Lake Charles, Louisiana, boasts an acceptance rate of 100%, welcoming students from all backgrounds to pursue their academic aspirations. Riverland, situated in Austin, Minnesota, maintains a slightly more selective admissions policy with an acceptance rate of 98%. Both colleges offer a wide range of programs, with SOWELA specializing in technical and career-oriented fields, while Riverland emphasizes liberal arts and transfer programs. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to delve into further details about these institutions, including popular majors, student body demographics, graduation rates, and more, to determine the college that best aligns with your unique educational goals and aspirations.

	Riverland Community College	SOWELA Technical Community College
Overview
Location	Austin, Minnesota	Lake Charles, Louisiana
Campus setting	Town: Distant	City: Small
College type	2 year	2 year
Control/business model	Public	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate	Undergraduate
Students retention rate	67.0%	62.0%
Common app member	No	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	Open Admission	Open Admission
Application fees
SAT range	N/A	N/A
ACT range	N/A	N/A
Students submitting SAT score
Students submitting ACT score
Total number of applicants
Total number of admissions given out
Admitted students who chose to enroll
Yield rate
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	Not required	Not required
High school GPA	N/A	N/A
Recommendation letters	N/A	N/A
High school transcript	N/A	N/A
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	N/A	N/A

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$17,740	$20,687
Average net price	$9,276	$9,392
Tuition	$5,396	$3,335
Room & board
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	85.0% Average amount $4,854	88.0% Average amount $5,644
Students receiving federal student loan	29.0% Average amount $5,378	0.0% Average amount $0
Students taking out private loans	1.0% Average amount $10,000	1.0% Average amount $7,958

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	3,276 Men 45.1% Women 54.9%	3,068 Men 47.2% Women 52.8%
Graduate students	N/A	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	0.6%	1.1%
Campus local/setting	Town: Distant	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	N/A	N/A
First year students are required to live on campus?	N/A	N/A
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Business Construction Trades Automotive Technology Transportation and Logistics	Engineering Technologies Liberal Arts Construction Trades Business Health Professions
Students to faculty ratio	19:1	16:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	41.8%	43.4%
Dropout rate	38.1%	37.5%
Transferred out	14.0%	5.7%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	N/A	Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $74,657 Year 2: $63,005 Year 3: $101,805 Electromechanical Instrumentation and Maintenance Technologies/Technicians (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $53,999 Year 2: $49,549 Year 3: $65,533 Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: $37,040 Year 2: $30,771 Year 3: $34,632 Accounting and Related Services (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $24,730 Year 3: $22,899 Business Operations Support and Assistant Services (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $22,903 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $18,811 Drafting/Design Engineering Technologies/Technicians (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $37,241 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Criminal Justice and Corrections (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $23,827 Year 2: $24,035 Year 3: N/A Design and Applied Arts (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $24,035 Year 3: N/A

Riverland Community College

SOWELA Technical Community College

Overview

Location

Austin, Minnesota

Lake Charles, Louisiana

Campus setting

Town: Distant

City: Small

College type

2 year

Control/business model

Public

Calendar system

Semester

Degrees offered

Undergraduate

Students retention rate

67.0%

62.0%

Common app member

Religious affiliation

Admission

Acceptance rate

Open Admission

Application fees

SAT range

N/A

ACT range

N/A

Students submitting SAT score

Students submitting ACT score

Total number of applicants

Total number of admissions given out

Admitted students who chose to enroll

Yield rate

Test scores (SAT/ACT)

Not required

High school GPA

N/A

Recommendation letters

N/A

High school transcript

N/A

English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)

N/A

Tuition and Fees

Sticker price

$17,740

$20,687

Average net price

$9,276

$9,392

Tuition

$5,396

$3,335

Room & board

Available payment plans

Tuition payment plan

Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid

Students receiving financial aid

(Grants & scholarships)

85.0%

Average amount $4,854

88.0%

Average amount $5,644

Students receiving federal student loan

29.0%

Average amount $5,378

0.0%

Average amount $0

Students taking out private loans

1.0%

Average amount $10,000

1.0%

Average amount $7,958

Students and Campus

Undergraduate students

3,276

Men 45.1% Women 54.9%

3,068

Men 47.2% Women 52.8%

Graduate students

N/A

Racial/ethnic diversity

Low

Out-of-state students

N/A

International students

0.6%

1.1%

Campus local/setting

Town: Distant

City: Small

Dormitory capacity

N/A

First year students are required to live on campus?

N/A

Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from

N/A

Academics

Popular study areas

Health Professions
Business
Construction Trades
Automotive Technology
Transportation and Logistics

Engineering Technologies
Liberal Arts
Construction Trades
Business
Health Professions

Students to faculty ratio

19:1

16:1

Institutional accreditation

Higher Learning Commission

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome

Graduation rate

41.8%

43.4%

Dropout rate

38.1%

37.5%

Transferred out

14.0%

5.7%

Alumni salary by major (Top 10)

N/A

Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians (Associate's Degrees)

Year 1: $74,657
Year 2: $63,005
Year 3: $101,805

Electromechanical Instrumentation and Maintenance Technologies/Technicians (Associate's Degrees)

Year 1: $53,999
Year 2: $49,549
Year 3: $65,533

Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas)

Year 1: $37,040
Year 2: $30,771
Year 3: $34,632

Accounting and Related Services (Associate's Degrees)

Year 1: N/A
Year 2: $24,730
Year 3: $22,899

Business Operations Support and Assistant Services (Associate's Degrees)

Year 1: $22,903
Year 2: N/A
Year 3: $18,811

Drafting/Design Engineering Technologies/Technicians (Associate's Degrees)

Year 1: $37,241
Year 2: N/A
Year 3: N/A

Criminal Justice and Corrections (Associate's Degrees)

Year 1: $23,827
Year 2: $24,035
Year 3: N/A

Design and Applied Arts (Associate's Degrees)

Year 1: N/A
Year 2: $24,035
Year 3: N/A