[3] The school opened as Southwestern Junior College in 1961 with William Kepley as its president.

The Chula Vista Star-News reported that 15 students had registered within the first half hour the dean of admission's office was open, with Oliver Pittenger, a graduate of the nearby Chula Vista High School being the first person to enroll.

In 2021, Southwestern was chosen as one of the eight campuses in the state to offer a "competency-based" associate's degree program without the need for grades or mandatory attendance on the student's part.

Southwestern chose auto tech to be the degree they offer under this program.

[5] Southwestern College is in the Pacific Coast Athletic Conference, of which they were founding members,[6] and competes in 11 sports which include: Presently, "Jaguars" are the Southwestern College mascot, and from 1961 until 2001, the mascot was the "Apaches".