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Southwestern Michigan College

Dowagiac, Michigan · Public community college

Welding schoolsAuto mechanic schoolsMedical billing & coding programsConstruction trades programsMedical assistant programs
38%completion rate · Michigan avg 57%
$10,959median debt of graduates
$33,204median earnings, 6 yrs after entry
$37,303median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
not reportedannual cost of attendance
Yesfederal aid (FAFSA / Pell) eligible
Accreditation: Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing | Higher Learning Commission (Accredited)
Address: 58900 Cherry Grove Rd, Dowagiac, MI 49047 · Phone: (269) 782-1000 · School website ↗ · Verify on College Scorecard ↗
Accountability record (federal accreditation database, last 36 months; Department of Education oversight)
No accreditor sanctions in the last 36 months
Sanctions are probation, warning, show-cause and loss-of-accreditation actions by any recognized accreditor, including program-specific accreditors (a nursing-program probation counts for the campus). Routine monitoring reviews and voluntary withdrawals are not counted. Ask the school what the action concerned and how it was resolved.
Completion rate vs. benchmarks
Southwestern Michigan… Southwestern Michigan…: 37.7% 37.7% Michigan average Michigan average: 56.9% 56.9% National average National average: 62.1% 62.1%

What these trades pay once you're working

OccupationStarting (10th pct)MedianExperienced (75th)
Welders, cutters, solderers and brazers$39,090$49,990$59,190
Automotive service technicians and mechanics$36,110$54,120$67,100
Medical records specialists$37,180$48,120$61,470
Construction laborers$37,220$49,590$61,730
Medical assistants$35,000$39,870$46,020

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics wages for everyone employed in the occupation in Michigan (May 2025; national where the state figure is not published). The program table below shows what this campus's own graduates earned in their first year, whatever job they took.

Trade programs at this campus

ProgramCredentialGrads / yrEarnings, yr 1Earnings, yr 2Median debt
Precision Metal Working Certificate, 1–2 years 20 not reported not reported not reported
Health and Medical Administrative Services Associate degree 7 not reported not reported not reported
Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies/Technicians Certificate, 1–2 years 6 not reported not reported not reported
Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services Associate degree 5 $29,285 not reported not reported
Carpenters Associate degree 5 not reported not reported not reported
Carpenters Certificate, 1–2 years 2 not reported not reported not reported
Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies/Technicians Associate degree 2 not reported $31,839 not reported
Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services Certificate, 1–2 years 1 not reported not reported not reported

Earnings are median wages and self-employment income reported to the IRS (W-2 and Schedule SE) for graduates who received federal aid and were working and not enrolled, measured in the calendar year after finishing. They are pay only: health insurance, retirement contributions and other benefits are not included.

Graduates per year from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) 2022-23 Completions survey. Earnings and debt are College Scorecard field-of-study medians for graduates of this program at this campus (reported at the 4-digit program level, so closely related programs share a figure); "not reported" means too few graduates were counted to publish a figure.

Visit the school's website ↗

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Data: Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) 2022-23 Completions survey; College Scorecard June 2026; Database of Accredited Postsecondary Institutions and Programs (DAPIP), September 2026. Figures are the U.S. Department of Education's official measures, not Career Training Path's opinion. Tuition, schedules and program availability change — confirm with the school before enrolling.

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