Southwestern Illinois College

Located in Belleville, Illinois, Southwestern Illinois College offers four aviation-focused career paths. The school is focused on preparing graduates for fast-paced, in-demand, well-paying careers in different parts of the aviation industry, including maintenance, management, dispatcher, or pilot.

Program Highlights

Southwestern Illinois College students who are on the flight training path will complete flight training out of St. Louis Downtown Airport (KCPS) in partnership with Ideal Aviation, a 25-minute drive from the main campus. Southwestern Illinois is the only collegiate helicopter program in Illinois.

Programs offered include:

• Associate of Applied Science
  • Aviation Maintenance (A&P)
  • Professional Pilot program-Fixed-wing
  • Professional Pilot program-Rotor-wing
  • Aviation Management

• One-year professional pilot training program (fixed-wing or rotor-wing)
• Dispatcher Certification program

Working directly with Southern Illinois University-Carbondale, the college allows students to complete flight training and academics at its campus and obtain a bachelor’s from SIU.

The college is the first two-year aviation program in Illinois to receive the Spirit of Flight Award, presented to recognize and reward aerospace organizations that exemplify the positive utilization of aviation for charitable purposes or for service to mankind. The school received the award in October 2021.

Its helicopter program is Part 141, and the fixed-wing program is expected to be a certified Part 141 in 2022. The school will also be applying to be eligible for an R-ATP for students.

It is part of Region 8 of the National Intercollegiate Flying Association.

Value

Southwestern Illinois College is very competitive when it comes to tuition. In-state and out-of-state students can expect to pay around $4,000-6,000 a year on academics alone. Flight training costs would be an additional $55,000-75,000 for the entire professional pilot program.

If students plan to continue to get their bachelor’s degree at Southwestern through its partnership with Southern Illinois University, they can expect to save roughly 25 percent.

The college offers scholarships, including:

• Don Chapman Memorial Scholarships
• Don Libby Memorial Scholarships
• SWIC Foundation Scholarships

It also accepts veteran’s benefits such as the GI Bill and the Illinois Veteran Grant.

Fleet and Facilities

The fleet of aircraft at Southwestern includes:

• 4 Cessna 172s
• 2 Piper 100s
• Piper Seminoles
• Guimbal G2s
• R44s

The college boasts high-time flight instructors. The top four together have almost 80,000 hours total.

Campus Life

Being a small college, Southwestern Illinois College does not have some of the traditional college experiences, but it does have many clubs and organizations. The school offers work study for students looking to gain experience in their field while saving money on tuition.

The campus hosts fun events each year like cooking competitions, poetry reads, and a lifetime leader program.

The Bottom Line

Southwestern Illinois College allows students to pursue aviation in a small atmosphere without compromising quality. With a partnership with Southern Illinois University, students can even pursue a bachelor’s degree.