It also has off-campus sites throughout the district, including Scott Air Force Base and the East St. Louis Community College Center.

More than 60 percent of the 169 students enrolled for its first semester were World War II veterans who had just returned from service.

The following year, area residents voted to establish the Class I Belleville Junior College District 522.

Both sites received approval for campus status from the Illinois Community College Board in July 1985.

[3] From 2020 through at least 2022, SWIC has offered one-year long special vocational training in East St. Louis, Illinois using state grants varying in size from $1.2 to $1.4 million.

The campuses of Southwestern Illinois College in Belleville and Granite City are both served by public transit.