Southern Adventist University is a private nonprofit institution offering graduate degrees based in Collegedale, Tennessee. It enrolls 2,773 students (a mid-sized student body), according to IPEDS 2023-24 data. Every figure on this page is reported by the federal government, not supplied by the college, so it can be compared like for like against anywhere else you are looking.
AccreditorSouthern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges
Academic CalendarSemester
How It Measures Up
These four scores answer one question: compared with similar colleges, is this one worth the money? Each runs 0 to 100 and is judged only against its peer group (4-Year Selective), so a community college is never marked down for not being Harvard. Everything is computed from federal data. Nobody can pay to move a score, and a pillar with missing data is left unscored rather than guessed.
Good
59/100
UCD Score · 4-Year Selective
Outcomes51
Value29
Affordability37
Selectivity54
Admissions & Acceptance Rate
Southern Adventist University admits 65.5% of applicants, which makes it moderately selective, and realistic if you meet the academic profile.
Acceptance Rate
65.5%
Moderate
SAT Range (25th–75th)
1020 – 1300
Reading + Math combined
ACT Range (25th–75th)
19 – 25
Cumulative composite
Test PolicyNot ConsideredStandardized test scores are not used in admissions decisions.
5-Year Admission Trend
Acceptance rate over the last five admission cycles. The trend tells you whether Southern Adventist University is getting harder, easier, or staying about the same.
Cost & Financial Aid
Ignore the sticker price. What matters is the net price, which is what a typical family pays here after grants and scholarships come off. At $24,345 a year on average, it sits in line with what private nonprofit colleges charge nationally. Plan for the gap between that and what you can pay without borrowing. Figures are College Scorecard 2023-24.
Published cost of attendance, the sticker price before grants and scholarships. Most students underestimate room & board and other expenses.
Tuition & Fees
$27,300
Room & Board (on-campus)
$8,900
Room & Board (off-campus)
$12,600
Books & Supplies
$1,100
Other Expenses (on-campus)
$5,000
Other Expenses (off-campus)
$5,000
Total Cost of Attendance
$38,618
Application fee: $25 (one-time, due at submission)
Net Price by Family Income
Aid is need-based, so net price varies by family income. Here's what each bracket typically pays after grants and scholarships.
Under $30,000
$19,123
$30,001 – $48,000
$20,421
$48,001 – $75,000
$22,849
$75,001 – $110,000
$26,679
Over $110,000
$30,751
Debt at Graduation
Cumulative federal-loan debt across the full borrowing distribution. The 10th and 90th percentiles bracket the typical range; the median sits in the middle.
$5,00010%percentile
$8,22525%percentile
$24,500Medianpercentile
$30,00075%percentile
$41,37690%percentile
Median Debt by Student Type
Median federal-loan debt at graduation broken down by demographic. Each slice's size is proportional to the dollar amount that group typically borrows.
GroupDebtvs Median
Pell recipients $19,500
↓ $5,000
No Pell $12,500
↓ $12,000
Dependent students $17,485
↓ $7,015
Independent students $20,000
↓ $4,500
Female students $18,750
↓ $5,750
Male students $15,625
↓ $8,875
Worth knowing:
Students who don't finish leave with a median debt of $12,000, less than completers ($24,500), but still a meaningful obligation without a degree in hand.
Graduation Rate & Retention
47% of students who start here finish within six years, and 82% come back after first year. Fewer than half finish in six years. Ask what support exists for students who fall behind. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
Completion and earnings carry the most weight in this college's score, and how the UCD Score weighs each measure sets out exactly how they are combined.
6-Year Graduation Rate
47%
Of students who graduate within six years
First-Year Retention
82%
Returning for their second year
After Graduation: Earnings & Outcomes
Ten years after starting here, the median student earns $53,723 a year, close to the national median. Typical for most colleges, so what you study will matter more than where. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Median Earnings (10 yrs)
$53,723
Earning > $25K
79%
10 yrs after entry
Earnings Growth After Graduation
Median annual earnings 6, 8, and 10 years after students first enrolled.
Earnings by Demographic
Mean annual earnings 10 years after entry, segmented by demographic. Reveals gaps the headline median can't show.
By Gender
Female graduates
$42,200
Median earnings for female grads ten years after first enrolling here.
Male graduates
$51,000
Median earnings for male grads ten years after first enrolling here.
By Family Income at Entry
Family income (lowest third)
$45,200
Earnings of grads from the bottom-third of family incomes at entry.
Family income (middle third)
$44,300
Earnings of grads from the middle-third of family incomes at entry.
Family income (highest third)
$48,800
Earnings of grads from the top-third of family incomes at entry.
The gender gap:
Male graduates earn $8,800, about 17% more than female graduates ten years out. The gap reflects industry mix, role choice, and structural pay differences that exist across most US colleges.
Loan Repayment Progression
Share of completer-cohort borrowers paying down at least $1 of principal at the 1-, 3-, 5-, and 7-year mark. Climbing rates show graduates settling into careers and managing debt; flat or declining rates are a warning.
Climbing: graduates increasingly paying down debt ↑
15.2 pts
across 6 years
What this signals:
Excellent. 86% of graduates were paying down at least $1 of principal seven years out.
Who Studies Here
Who you would actually be sitting next to: 2,773 students, a mid-sized community.
Total Enrolled
2,773
Part-Time
11%
First-Generation
18%
Race & Ethnicity Breakdown
Undergraduate student body composition reported to the US Department of Education.
GroupShareStudents
White 36.6%1,016
Hispanic 26.0%720
Asian 14.2%393
International 7.7%213
Other 6.8%187
Black 5.6%156
Student Life & Campus Culture
Where students live, learn, and connect at Southern Adventist University. The campus setting, housing profile, and signals that shape day-to-day life here.
Southern Adventist University offers
an extensive catalog of programs:
80 distinct programs across
24 majors.
Below are its strongest majors, each with flagship programs and typical earnings.
Open a major to explore it in depth, or browse the full program catalog.
There are 16 students for every instructor here: about average, so expect a mix of small seminars and big lectures.
Student : Faculty
16:1
Students per instructional faculty member
Endowment
$169M
Solid financial position
Avg Faculty Salary
$58,167
9-month equivalent across all ranks
Faculty by Rank
141 instructional faculty across 4 ranks.
The rank mix shows how many senior faculty are teaching versus contingent or junior staff, with average salary equated to a 9-month contract.
Rank
Faculty Count
Share
Avg Salary
Full Professors
57
40%
$62,448
Associate Professors
55
39%
$59,549
Assistant Professors
27
19%
$47,452
Instructors
2
1%
$42,804
Pros & Cons of Southern Adventist University
No college is right for everyone. Here is where Southern Adventist University is likely to suit you and where it may not, based on the same figures shown above.
Frequently Asked Questions about Southern Adventist University
The questions families ask most about Southern Adventist University, answered straight from the federal data rather than from the college's own marketing.
Is Southern Adventist University hard to get into?
Admissions at Southern Adventist University are moderately competitive. The acceptance rate is 65.5%, so most applicants who meet the academic minimums are admitted.
What is the acceptance rate at Southern Adventist University?
65.5% of applicants are admitted. Most applicants who meet the basic requirements are admitted. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
What SAT score do you need for Southern Adventist University?
Aim for 1300 or better. Half of admitted students scored between 1020 and 1300 (Reading plus Math), so anything above the top of that range makes you competitive and anything below the bottom means the rest of your application has to carry more weight. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What ACT score do you need for Southern Adventist University?
Aim for 25 or better. Half of admitted students scored between 19 and 25 on the composite, so the upper half of that band is where you want to land. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
How much does Southern Adventist University cost?
Budget around $24,345 a year. That is the net price, what families typically pay once grants and scholarships come off, not the sticker price. Your own figure depends on household income, so treat this as a midpoint rather than a quote. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is Southern Adventist University worth it?
On the numbers, yes: moderate return on investment. Ten years in, the median graduate earns $53,723 a year against a net price of $24,345, about 2.2 dollars of earnings for every dollar of annual cost. That ratio ignores whether you finish and what you study, which matter just as much. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
What is Southern Adventist University known for?
Mostly Nursing, Nursing, Biology. Those are the fields where it awards the most degrees, which is a better guide to where the teaching strength sits than any reputation ranking. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What do Southern Adventist University graduates earn?
About $53,723 a year, measured ten years after students first enrolled. Half earn more and half earn less, and what you study moves that figure far more than where you study. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is Southern Adventist University accredited?
Yes. Southern Adventist University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.
How many students attend Southern Adventist University?
2,773 students. Big enough for a wide course catalogue without feeling anonymous. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What is the graduation rate at Southern Adventist University?
47% finish within six years. That means most students do not finish in six years. Ask the school directly what support exists for students who fall behind. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
Is Southern Adventist University a public or private college?
It is Private Nonprofit. Private nonprofit, so the sticker price is higher but institutional aid is often larger too.
Where is Southern Adventist University located?
Southern Adventist University is located in Collegedale, Tennessee.
What programs does Southern Adventist University offer?
80 different programs, most commonly Nursing, Nursing, Biology. If the subject you want is not among them, check the full list before applying rather than assuming it is offered.
What is the student-to-faculty ratio at Southern Adventist University?
16 students per instructor. About average, so a mix of seminars and larger lectures. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
Related Colleges in Tennessee
Other colleges in Tennessee share the same applicant pool, regional economy, and academic landscape. Comparing nearby options puts admissions, costs, and outcomes in context, useful when weighing your fit against local alternatives.
Free, data-backed guides to help you decide, built on the same federal data as this profile.
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Original data analyses built on the same federal data as this profile. Rankings, outliers, and patterns, no opinions.
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