Regional university
Southern Adventist University
Collegedale, TN · Private nonprofit · 4-year
Your real cost
Average price after aid $24,345 a year
Median debt at graduation: $24,500 (all students)
Estimate your own price · the college’s net price calculator
Academic Excellence
Each measure counts for the share shown.
- Graduation rate 35% of scoreThis measure counts for 35% of the Academic Excellence score.49%
- First-year retention 20% of scoreThis measure counts for 20% of the Academic Excellence score.83%
- Entering students' test scores 15% of scoreThis measure counts for 15% of the Academic Excellence score.SAT 1,129 · ACT 22
- Student-to-faculty ratio 15% of scoreThis measure counts for 15% of the Academic Excellence score.19 to 1
- Instructional spending per student 15% of scoreThis measure counts for 15% of the Academic Excellence score.$11,547
Bars show points on each measure’s scale. How Academic Excellence is computed.
Source: College Scorecard (College Scorecard, most recent cohorts (data release 06/10/2026))
What families pay, by income
Average yearly price after grants and scholarships, for students who receive federal aid.
| Family income | Price after aid |
|---|---|
| Up to $30,000 | |
| $30,001–$48,000 | |
| $48,001–$75,000 | |
| $75,001–$110,000 | |
| Over $110,000 |
Full cost of attendance before aid: $38,618 a year.
Use the college’s net price calculator for your own estimate.
Cost and value
Federal data: what families pay after aid, what graduates earn, and what they owe.
| Undergraduate students Fall enrollment (IPEDS) | 2,827 |
|---|---|
| Men and women College Scorecard, fall 2023 | Men 46% · Women 54% |
| First-generation students College Scorecard | 18% |
| First-year students from another state IPEDS, fall 2023 | 79% |
| Total students | 3,154 |
| Average net price (per year) After grants and scholarships, for students receiving federal aid | $24,345 |
| Cost of attendance (per year) | $38,618 |
| Median federal debt at graduation | $24,500 |
| Graduation rate First-time, full-time students finishing within 150% of normal time | 49% |
| Graduation rate for Pell grant recipients College Scorecard, within 6 years | 47% |
| Graduation rate for first-generation students College Scorecard, within 6 years | 41% |
| Borrowers paying down their loans within 3 years College Scorecard, within 3 years | 63% |
| First-year retention | 83% |
| Median earnings 10 years after entry | $53,723 |
| Admission rate | 66% |
| Application fee IPEDS, 2023–24 | $25 |
| Typical rent HUD fair market rent, FY2026 | About $1,263 a month for a one-bedroom |
| Students receiving Pell grants | 31% |
| Average SAT | 1129 |
|---|---|
| SAT reading & writing | 530–660 |
| SAT math | 490–640 |
| ACT composite | 19–25 |
| Test policy | Considered but not required |
Value: Good (how it’s computed)
Sources: College Scorecard · IPEDS College Navigator · Net price calculator
College Scorecard, most recent cohorts (data release 06/10/2026); IPEDS 2024-25 directory and institutional characteristics; fall 2023 enrollment.
Earnings by major
Median earnings of bachelor’s graduates a few years after finishing, by major (College Scorecard).
| Major | Median earnings |
|---|---|
| Nursing | |
| Kinesiology and exercise science | |
| Social work | |
| Teacher education | |
| Business administration |
Also offered (no earnings published yet): Accounting, Allied health, Archeology, Automotive technology, Bible/Biblical Studies, Biochemistry, Biology, Building/Construction Finishing, Management, and Inspection, Chemistry, Clinical and counseling psychology, Clinical laboratory science, Communication studies, Communications Technologies/Technicians, Computer engineering, Computer science, Construction Management, Culinary arts, Curriculum and instruction, Data Analytics, Dental assisting, Design, Drafting and design, Economics, Educational leadership, Electrical engineering, Engineering (general), Engineering Mechanics, English, Entrepreneurship, Ethnic and gender studies, Experimental psychology, Family and human development, Film and video, Finance, Fine arts, Foods, Nutrition,, General Sales, Merchandising and Related Marketing Operations, Global studies, Health administration, History, Human resources, Industrial technology, Information technology, Interdisciplinary studies, International business, International relations, Journalism, Liberal arts, Linguistics, Literature, Management information systems, Management science, Marketing, Mathematics, Medical assisting, Middle/Near Eastern and Semitic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, Missions/Missionary Studies and Missiology, Museology/Museum Studies, Music, Other biological and biomedical sciences, Other business, management, marketing, and related support services, Other communications technologies/technicians and support services, Other computer and information sciences and support services, Other education, Other parks, recreation, leisure, fitness, and kinesiology, Pastoral counseling, Physics, Political science, Pre-law and legal studies, Programming, Psychology, Public health, Public relations, Rehabilitation and therapy, Religious Education, Religious Music and Worship, Religious studies, Romance languages, Secondary education, Sociology, Software and media applications, Special education, Speech-language pathology, Teaching English as a second language, Theology, Visual and performing arts, Writing and rhetoric.
What students study most
Share of bachelor’s degrees by field, first majors in 2023–24 (IPEDS).
| Field | Share of degrees |
|---|---|
| Health professions | |
| Business | |
| Biology | |
| Visual and performing arts | |
| Parks, recreation and fitness |
Campus life
| Setting | Suburb |
|---|---|
| Part-time undergraduates | 11% |
| Undergraduates aged 25 and older | 7% |
| On-campus room and board (per year) | $8,900 |
| Study abroad | Offered |
| Students per faculty member | 19 to 1 |
| Faculty who are full-time | 100%College Scorecard, fall 2023 |
| Endowment per student | $20,947IPEDS, 2023, per student |
| Dorm space | For about 53% of studentsBeds per undergraduate; not who lives on campus |
| Nearest airport with airline service | Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport (Lovell Field) (CHA)About 9 miles away · about 25 minutes by car |
| Nearest major airport | Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL)About 104 miles away |
| Town population | 11,330Census, 2020–2024 |
| Nearest city of 250,000 people or more | AtlantaAbout 96 miles away · about 2 hours 20 minutes by car |
| Typical weather | 42°F in January · 81°F in JulyNOAA, 1991–2020, from Chattanooga Lovell Airport, TN, about 9 miles away |
Federal data (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Campus safety reports
On-campus crimes reported in 2024, per 1,000 students.
| Category | This campus | U.S. rate |
|---|---|---|
| Rape | 0.31 | 0.07 |
| Robbery | 0.00 | 0.01 |
| Aggravated assault | 0.00 | 0.04 |
| Burglary | 0.00 | 0.08 |
| Motor vehicle theft | 0.00 | 0.15 |
Numbers reflect what each campus reported. They differ with campus size and how reporting is done, so compare with care. U.S. rate: total reported offenses divided by total students at every institution in the report.
Questions families ask
- What is Southern Adventist University’s Compass Score?
- Good (grade B). The grade comes from outcomes (40%: graduation, retention and earnings), entering students (40%: test scores and selectivity), cost (15%: debt and price after aid) and teaching (5%: class size), all from federal data.
- How much does Southern Adventist University cost after financial aid?
- The average net price is $24,345 a year for students who receive federal aid, after grants and scholarships. What your family pays depends on income; the college’s net price calculator gives your own estimate.
- How hard is it to get into Southern Adventist University?
- Southern Adventist University admitted 66% of applicants in the most recent federal data.
- How do Southern Adventist University’s graduates do?
- 49% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years; the median earnings of former students ten years after entry are $53,723; the median federal debt at graduation is $24,500.
Ask the school
Something you want to know that isn’t on this page? Ask it here. We send it to the school, and their answer appears on this page. Your name is never shared.
Reviews
Personal experiences from signed-in readers. Reviews are moderated automatically and never change a school’s grades.
No reviews yet.
Sign in to write a review.
My rating and notes
Sign in or create a free account to rate this school privately, keep notes, and save it to your list.
About this school’s data
- IPEDS unit ID 221661
- Carnegie classification: Master's university (medium programs)
- Accreditation: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges d.b.a. Commission on Colleges and Universities (U.S. Department of Education DAPIP)
- Religious affiliation (IPEDS): Seventh Day Adventist
- Report an error or a newer source
- Respond as this school
Colleges like this one
The same kind of school first, then the closest in selectivity, size and cost.
Compare side by side: Southern Adventist vs Rockhurst · Southern Adventist vs Elmhurst · Southern Adventist vs Northwest Nazarene · Southern Adventist vs Olivet Nazarene
More in Tennessee · Tennessee rankings