| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Type | Public two-year college in the Louisiana Community and Technical College System (LCTCS); campus classes, with some degrees and courses online |
| Locations | Nine campuses in eight parishes of south-central Louisiana (Lafayette, Abbeville, Crowley, New Iberia, St. Martinville, Opelousas, Ville Platte, Franklin and Morgan City), plus an aviation maintenance hangar at Lafayette Regional Airport and an Opelousas extension site |
| Credentials | Associate degrees (AAS, AS, Associate of Science in Nursing, transfer AA/AS), technical diplomas, Certificates of Technical Studies and non-credit workforce courses |
| Typical length | Six weeks (CNA), as little as seven months (Commercial Diving), three semesters (the welding, HVAC, electrician and diesel diplomas) and four semesters (the nursing degree, practical nursing and the AAS degrees whose length is published) |
| Enrollment | 6,238 undergraduates in fall 2024, 54% full time (College Navigator); SoLAcc says it served nearly 12,000 students in 2024-25, counting workforce, adult education and dual enrollment |
| Accreditation | The Commission on Colleges and Universities (formerly SACSCOC), associate degrees; last reaffirmed 2019, next reaffirmation 2029 |
| Federal aid | Yes; 86% of full-time beginning students received aid in 2023-24 (College Navigator) |
| Tuition | $133.93 per credit hour; $2,202.02 for 12 credits a semester with mandatory fees. No separate out-of-state rate is posted |
| Facts checked | 9 October 2026 |
A merged community and technical college in south-central Louisiana
South Louisiana Community College, which now calls itself SoLAcc, is a public two-year college in the Louisiana Community and Technical College System. It grew by taking in technical college campuses: it merged with Acadiana Technical College (the accreditor’s record dates the merger action June 2013), and the Young Memorial campus in Morgan City later moved over from South Central Louisiana Technical College. The town campuses formerly carried other names, such as Gulf Area (Abbeville), Teche (New Iberia) and T.H. Harris (Opelousas). Lafayette holds the nursing degree, the automotive, culinary and computing programs, while welding and practical nursing are spread across most campuses. A few programs sit at one site only: cosmetology at Abbeville, commercial diving at Morgan City and pipe welding at St. Martinville.
Career programs at SoLAcc’s campuses
SoLAcc says it offers more than 50 programs: transfer degrees, applied associate degrees (AAS), technical diplomas and Certificates of Technical Studies, plus short non-credit workforce courses. The table covers the main career programs from SoLAcc’s program pages (October 2026); a dash means the source gave no figure. SoLAcc’s program pages do not give credit or hour totals for most programs.
| Program | Credential | Length and entry | Where | Accreditation | Prepares for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nursing (RN) | Associate of Science in Nursing | Four semesters on time; selective | Lafayette | ACEN | NCLEX-RN |
| LPN to RN Transition | ASN track for licensed LPNs | Three semesters of advanced coursework | Opelousas, New Iberia | ACEN | NCLEX-RN |
| Practical Nursing | Technical diploma or AAS | Four semesters; application cycle set by campus | Abbeville, Crowley, Lafayette, Morgan City, Opelousas, St. Martinville, Ville Platte | – | NCLEX-PN |
| EMT-Paramedic | AAS | – | National EMS Academy sites | CAAHEP (CoAEMSP) | NREMT |
| Medical Assistant | Technical diploma or AAS | Fall start; clinical externships | Abbeville, Crowley, Franklin, New Iberia, Opelousas, Ville Platte | None claimed | A national MA exam (not named) |
| CNA | Non-credit | Six weeks (80 classroom + 45 clinical hours) | Six campuses | – | Louisiana CNA exam |
| Phlebotomy | Non-credit | 10 weeks, incl. two weeks of clinicals; age 18+ and diploma | Lafayette, New Iberia, Opelousas | – | CPT |
| Aviation Maintenance Technology | – | Two years | Lafayette Regional Airport | – | FAA A&P exams (SoLAcc’s description) |
| Welding Technology | Technical diploma, 1,155 contact hours | Three semesters | Seven campuses | – | NCCER Core, Welding Levels 1–2 |
| Advanced Welding Technology (pipe) | CTS, 990 contact hours | Fall start | St. Martinville | – | NCCER Level 3 |
| Heating, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration | Technical diploma, 45 credits; AAS | Three or four semesters | Lafayette, New Iberia, Morgan City | – | – |
| Electrician | Technical diploma; AAS | Three or four semesters | Opelousas (fall), Lafayette (spring) | – | – |
| Automotive Technology | AAS or technical diploma | Fall start | Lafayette | NATEF (ASE Education Foundation) | – |
| Diesel Powered Equipment Technology | Technical diploma or associate degree | Three semesters | Opelousas extension site | – | – |
| Commercial Diving | CTS | As little as seven months; ADCI diving physical | Morgan City | – | ADCI Entry-Level Tender/Diver |
| Cosmetology | Technical diploma, 1,500 clock hours | – | Abbeville | – | Louisiana State Board of Cosmetology exam |
| Culinary Arts and Occupations | AAS or technical diploma | – | Lafayette | ACFEF | ACF certification |
| Drafting and Design Technology | AAS or technical diploma | Fall or spring start | Lafayette | – | – |
| Information Technology; Application Software Development | AAS (IT also technical diploma) | Four semesters; software development starts in fall | Lafayette | – | – |
| Business Administration | AAS | – | Lafayette; some courses online | – | – |
Alongside the credit programs, SoLAcc’s workforce division runs non-credit courses including CNA, phlebotomy, medical billing and coding, CDL, a seven-month HVAC course, plumbing (New Iberia), carpentry (St. Martinville), precision machining toward NIMS credentials, power line worker and industrial maintenance. Programs added in 2025 include Honda PACT automotive training, Health Studies and a Certified Logistics Technician course. Criminal Justice is offered as an AS transfer degree, in person in Lafayette and online.
What the main programs cover
Registered nursing (ASN)
The ASN is a selective program inside an open-admission college: applicants apply to the nursing program separately rather than just enrolling. The degree is taught at the Lafayette campus, and SoLAcc’s outcomes page measures on-time completion as four semesters. Licensed practical nurses take a different route, the LPN to RN transition, which adds three semesters of advanced coursework and is taught at Opelousas and New Iberia. Graduates of either route earn the same degree and become eligible for the NCLEX-RN; the program has full approval from the Louisiana State Board of Nursing.
Practical nursing
Practical Nursing runs for four semesters whether students choose the technical diploma or the AAS, and it is taught at seven campuses, each with its own admission calendar. SoLAcc posts these cycles years ahead, through 2029: Morgan City, for example, takes applications in fall 2026 for a spring 2027 start, while Lafayette and Opelousas take them in spring 2027 for fall 2027. Lafayette also runs a night cohort. Graduates sit the NCLEX-PN for licensure by the Louisiana State Board of Practical Nurse Examiners.
Welding and pipe welding
The welding diploma takes three semesters and 1,155 contact hours, and SoLAcc teaches it at seven campuses, with start terms that vary by campus (fall at Morgan City, spring at Abbeville). Students train toward NCCER Core and Welding Levels 1 and 2. Those who want pipe work continue into Advanced Welding Technology at St. Martinville, a further 990 contact hours that adds NCCER Level 3. An LCTCS board report says the accreditor approved that certificate in July 2023.
Heating, air conditioning and refrigeration
HVAC students choose a three-semester technical diploma or a four-semester AAS in Technical Studies. On the 2025-26 program plan the diploma’s 45 credits are split 17, 12 and 16 across the three semesters, and an Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Helper certificate (CTS) is embedded in the diploma. Credit classes meet at Lafayette, New Iberia and Morgan City. SoLAcc also runs a separate non-credit HVAC course of about seven months, open at 16 with no diploma, at New Iberia, Opelousas and Morgan City.
Commercial diving
Commercial Diving is taught only at the Morgan City campus, and SoLAcc says the certificate can be finished in as little as seven months. Before training starts, each applicant must pass the ADCI diving physical, a medical exam set by the Association of Diving Contractors International. The program ends with the ADCI Entry-Level Tender/Diver card. Applicants should ask what the physical involves before applying, since failing it rules out the program. We found no published completion or placement figures for it.
Aviation maintenance
Aviation Maintenance Technology is a two-year program based in a hangar at Lafayette Regional Airport, apart from the main campus. SoLAcc describes it as preparation for the FAA Airframe and Powerplant exams. Its program page does not say whether the school holds an FAA Part 147 certificate or which credential graduates receive, so ask both questions before applying. In 2025 the college also added a short Aircraft Sheet Metal Technician course.
Tuition, fees and how students pay
SoLAcc’s posted tuition schedule (no effective date shown; checked October 2026):
- Tuition: $133.93 per credit hour.
- Full-time, 12 credits a semester: $2,202.02, made up of $1,607.16 tuition, a further $5.03-per-credit charge ($60.36) and $534.50 in mandatory fees. At 15 credits a semester the total is $2,654.90.
- Other fees: a $40 e-learning fee for fully online courses, $15 proctoring and a $25 late-registration fee.
- Out-of-state students: Louisiana has no in-district rate, and SoLAcc’s tuition page shows no separate out-of-state rate or fee.
The Louisiana Board of Regents’ 2026-27 tuition comparison lists SoLAcc’s average annual resident tuition and fees at $5,280 for a student taking 15 credits a semester, close to the posted schedule. SoLAcc’s 2025-26 cost of attendance, which adds housing, food, books and transport, is $17,487 for a full-time dependent student and $27,184 for an independent student; SoLAcc lists no student housing. College Navigator puts the average net price for full-time beginning students at $12,499 for 2023-24.
SoLAcc takes federal financial aid: 86% of full-time first-time students received aid in 2023-24, according to College Navigator. Non-credit workforce courses are priced separately: CNA $2,200, phlebotomy $3,000, medical billing and coding $5,500 plus $700 for books, HVAC $5,000 to $7,000, plumbing $6,000, carpentry $7,000 and precision machining $5,000.
Admissions, starts and schedules
SoLAcc is open admission. Selective programs set their own entry steps:
- Nursing ASN and LPN to RN: a separate application to the nursing program.
- Practical Nursing: application cycles by campus, posted through 2029.
- EMT-Paramedic: entry through the National EMS Academy.
- Commercial Diving: an ADCI diving physical before training.
- Phlebotomy: age 18 or older with a high school diploma. Most other workforce courses accept students from age 16 with no diploma.
Evening options are listed for specific programs rather than college-wide: the Lafayette practical nursing night cohort, night CNA, phlebotomy, HVAC and machining sections, and carpentry Monday to Thursday, 5 to 10 pm (the last scheduled class, 2025). Business, Criminal Justice and General Studies can be taken online, and the college has been approved for distance education since 2016.
Accreditation and results
SoLAcc is accredited to award associate degrees by The Commission on Colleges and Universities, the new name (from 1 September 2026) of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC). Its accreditation was last reaffirmed in 2019, the next reaffirmation is due in 2029, and the commission lists no public sanctions.
Program accreditors: ACEN for the Nursing ASN (continuing accreditation), CAAHEP on the recommendation of CoAEMSP for EMT-Paramedic, NATEF (now the ASE Education Foundation) for Automotive Technology, and the American Culinary Federation Education Foundation (ACFEF) for Culinary Arts.
Published results by program:
| Program | Result | Cohort and source |
|---|---|---|
| Nursing ASN | NCLEX-RN pass rate 97.8%; on-time completion 100%; job placement 100% | 2023, the latest year published; SoLAcc ASN outcomes page |
| Nursing ASN, earlier years | NCLEX-RN 80% (2022), 78.69% (2021), 85.1% (2020) | SoLAcc ASN outcomes page |
| Practical Nursing | NCLEX-PN: Opelousas 14 of 14, Morgan City 18 of 20, Crowley 12 of 16 | 2025; Louisiana State Board of Practical Nurse Examiners |
| EMT-Paramedic | NREMT/state written exam pass 93.3%; retention 84.1%; job placement 100% | 2023; SoLAcc program page |
| Culinary Arts | ACF certification rate 0% for both credentials | Both years in the program page’s table |
We found no published pass or placement rates for Aviation Maintenance, Commercial Diving, Welding, HVAC, Cosmetology or Medical Assistant. College-wide, 30% of full-time, first-time students who started in fall 2021 graduated within 150% of normal time and another 17% transferred out, according to College Navigator (IPEDS).
Before you enroll
- Many of the shorter health and trade options are non-credit workforce courses with their own prices ($2,200 for CNA up to $7,000 for HVAC or carpentry), not college certificates. SoLAcc says tuition assistance may be available, but most grants need a high school or HiSET diploma.
- The online Pharmacy Technician, Physical Therapy Aide and Medical Administrative Assistant courses on SoLAcc’s site are sold through CareerStep, a third-party online provider, not taught by the college. SoLAcc has no Physical Therapist Assistant program, and a physical therapy aide course does not lead to PTA licensure.
- SoLAcc’s latest published NCLEX-RN result is from 2023 (97.8%), after 78.69% in 2021 and 80% in 2022. Practical nursing results differ by campus. Ask for 2024 and 2025 RN results and for your campus’s PN results before choosing.
- Check program claims the pages leave open: the aviation pages do not state an FAA Part 147 certificate, the medical assistant and billing and coding pages do not name their exams, and the culinary program’s own table shows a 0% ACF certification rate.
- EMT and paramedic training happens at National EMS Academy sites, not on SoLAcc’s campuses, and Criminal Justice is an AS transfer degree built for moving on to Northwestern State, McNeese or Nicholls rather than an applied credential.
Clinicals, externships and adult education help
Several programs build work experience in: Medical Assistant includes clinical externships, phlebotomy students spend two weeks in clinicals at Ochsner sites, and the nursing programs include clinical practice. Police officers can receive up to 15 Criminal Justice credits for a POST academy. At the New Iberia campus, a TRiO Educational Opportunity Center helps adults 19 and older with the HiSET and with applying to college.
What students say
On Niche, South Louisiana Community College averages 3.94 out of 5 from 230 reviews, with an overall grade of B− (checked 9 October 2026). Reviewers most often praise friendly, knowledgeable professors and small classes, the low tuition, and the flexibility of online classes, and some single out helpful advisors. The most common complaints are about administrative support, especially financial aid, communication and phone access, and some front-line staff described as rude; one reviewer calls the school unfriendly to veterans. Niche shows only a few of the 230 reviews, so we could not check when they were posted or whether they cluster.
Sources
Checked 9 October 2026: SoLAcc campuses · SoLAcc programs · SoLAcc tuition and cost of attendance · Commission on Colleges and Universities record · SoLAcc ASN outcomes · College Navigator · Niche
Programs & Courses
Nursing and Health
- Nursing, Associate of Science in Nursing (RN; Lafayette)
- LPN to RN Transition (ASN track; Opelousas, New Iberia)
- Practical Nursing (technical diploma and AAS; seven campuses)
- EMT-Paramedic (AAS, with the National EMS Academy)
- Emergency Medical Technician (technical diploma and short-term course, with the National EMS Academy)
- Medical Assistant (technical diploma and AAS; six campuses)
- Medical Laboratory Science (formerly Clinical Laboratory Technician)
- Certified Nursing Assistant (non-credit)
- Phlebotomy Technician (non-credit)
- Medical Billing and Coding (non-credit; Lafayette)
Transportation and Aviation
- Aviation Maintenance Technology (Lafayette Regional Airport)
- Automotive Technology (AAS and technical diploma; Lafayette)
- Diesel Powered Equipment Technology (Opelousas extension site)
- Commercial Vehicle Operation / CDL (non-credit; Opelousas)
Construction, Manufacturing and Energy
- Welding Technology (technical diploma; seven campuses)
- Advanced Welding Technology, pipe (CTS; St. Martinville)
- Heating, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration (AAS, technical diploma, Helper CTS; also a non-credit course)
- Electrician (AAS and technical diploma)
- Industrial Electronics
- Drafting and Design Technology (AAS and technical diploma; Lafayette)
- Nondestructive Testing (Opelousas extension site)
- Oil and Gas Production Technology (New Iberia)
Marine
- Commercial Diving (CTS; Morgan City)
- Industrial Marine Electronics Technology (Morgan City, Franklin)
Cosmetology and Culinary
- Cosmetology (technical diploma, 1,500 hours; Abbeville)
- Culinary Arts and Occupations (AAS and technical diploma; Lafayette)
Business and Computing
- Business Administration (AAS; Lafayette, some courses online)
- Information Technology (AAS and technical diploma; Lafayette)
- Application Software Development (AAS; Lafayette)
Transfer
- Criminal Justice (AS, transfer; Lafayette and online)
Campus Locations
Lafayette, LA 1101 Bertrand Dr., Lafayette, LA 70506
Lafayette, LA 118 Shepard Dr., Lafayette, LA 70508
Lafayette (Abbeville), LA 1115 Clover St., Abbeville, LA 70510
Lafayette (Crowley), LA 1933 W. Hutchinson Ave., Crowley, LA 70526
Lafayette (New Iberia), LA 908 Ember Dr., New Iberia, LA 70560
Lafayette (St. Martinville), LA 6305 Main Highway, St. Martinville, LA 70582
Opelousas, LA 332 East South St., Opelousas, LA 70570
Ville Platte, LA 1124 Vocational Dr., Ville Platte, LA 70586
Morgan City (Franklin), LA 1013 Perret St., Franklin, LA 70538
Morgan City, LA 900 Youngs Road, Morgan City, LA 70380