Los Angeles Southwest College (LASC) History and Academics

History

After the infamous Watts Riots in 1965, many Los Angeles officials expressed concern that much more needed to be done to educate young African-Americans in the Los Angeles area. One of the responses to these concerns was the establishment of Los Angeles Southwest College in 1967.

In the years since, Los Angeles Southwest has been a vital part of Los Angeles and the surrounding community. Many Los Angeles area residents attend the college for technical training, as well as to study before transferring to a four-year university.

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Information Summary

Ranks 275th in California and 2847th overall. See the entire top 2,000 colleges and universities list
Overall Score (about)	53.0
Total Cost On-Campus Attendance	$3,137
Admission Success rate	N/A
Student Ratio Students-to-Faculty	15 : 1
Retention (full-time / part-time)	57% / 29%
Enrollment Total (all students)	5,678

Academics

Los Angeles Southwest College offers associate’s degrees, with majors in Business Administration, Child Development, Drafting, Interdisciplinary Studies, Liberal Studies, Nursing, Political Science, Sociology, Speech Communication, Nursing, and more.

The college also has a number of certificate programs, including Fingerprinting, Banking and Finance, Management/Supervision, Small Business Entrepreneurship, Legal Office Assistant, Receptionist, Quality Control, Automated Manufacturing, Chemical Dependency Counselor, Real Estate Appraisal, Early Childhood Speech Therapy Assistant, and numerous Private Teacher certificates with an emphasis on preschool.

Los Angeles Southwest’s Business Department specializes in helping to prepare students who are interested in careers in such fields as business communications or information systems. The Business Department is divided into twelve disciplines: Accounting, Business, Computer Application and Office Technology, Computer Science and Information Technology, Cooperative Education, Economics, Electronics/Engineering, Finance, Law/Paralegal, Management, Marketing, Real Estate, and Supervision.

Most Popular Fields of Study

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Admissions

Los Angeles Southwest has an open admissions policy. Neither a high school diploma nor official transcripts are required.

International students, however, must show proof of finances if a minimum of $16,500 for room and board and other expenses are not already provided by a sponsor or other institution. They must also have graduated from a high school equivalent to one in the United States, and show a score of at least 450 on the Test of English as a Foreign Language, or a minimum score of 45 on the Internet version of the test.

Financial Aid

Financial aid is available to students who need assistance paying their way through school. Many forms of aid are available, including Federal Pell Grants, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants, Federal Work Study, Board of Governor Fee Waiver Program, and Cal Grant B and C.

Those interested in financial aid should begin by filling out a Free Application for Student Federal Aid (FAFSA) form. Students can use the Internet to both apply and check their financial aid status.

Student aid applications become available on January 1 for that year’s fall semester. March 2 is the cutoff date for the Cal Grants, and May 2 the priority deadline for financial aid. The deadline to ensure FAFSA forms are accepted by Federal Processor is June 30.

Student Financial Aid Details

Ranks 4417th for the average student loan amount.
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Students

The school’s Center for Retention and Transfer helps to arrange for students tours to colleges such as California State University, Cal-Berkeley, and the University of Southern California, as many Los Angeles Southwest students transfer to these and other four-year institutions in California.

Students interested in journalism careers can work for The Word, the student e-newspaper. In addition, the school’s Art Gallery often displays works by Los Angeles Southwest students.

Los Angeles Southwest is a commuter college, with no students living on campus.

Student Enrollment Demographics

Athletics

Los Angeles Southwest College fields men’s teams in cross-country, football, and basketball. The women compete in track and field and basketball. The school’s nickname is the Cougars.

Los Angeles Southwest also has an extensive intramural sports program. There are men’s and women’s leagues in archery, badminton, basketball, bowling, cross-country, golf, and volleyball.

Los Angeles Southwest College