Southern Adventist University
Collegedale, Tennessee · Website
$53,723
median earnings, 10 years after starting
$53,723
median earnings, 10 years after starting
Southern Adventist University is a private nonprofit 4-year college in Collegedale, Tennessee with 2,773 undergraduates and 300 graduate students. Its average net price after grants is $24,345 a year (tuition and fees $27,300). It admits 66% of applicants and 49% of students finish within 6 years. Former students earn a median $53,723 a year 10 years after they started, and graduates leave with a median $24,500 in federal student loans.
Updated Oct 10, 2026 · June 2026 data
Net price
$24,345
US median $17,138
Tuition and fees
$27,300
US median $11,837
Admission rate
66%
US median 78%
Completion rate
49%
Within 6 years, US 58%
Median debt
$24,500
About $260 a month
Earnings at 10 years
$53,723
Rank 1,196 of 5,094 in the US
Cost
What a year costs: posted prices and the average after grants
Net price by family income
Average yearly cost after grants, for students who get aid
- Net price
- $24,345
- Tuition and fees
- $27,300
- Cost of attendance
- $38,618
- Students with a need-based grant
- 31%
- Students with federal loans
- 42%
- Net price, family income under $30K
- $19,123
- Net price, family income $30K to $48K
- $20,421
- Net price, family income $48K to $75K
- $22,849
- Net price, family income $75K to $110K
- $26,679
- Net price, family income over $110K
- $30,751
Net price is what students who get aid pay on average after grants.
Tuition and net price by year
School years 2015-16 to 2024-25. The year on the chart is the year the school year starts.
Yearly cost
Tuition and fees went from $20,650 in 2015-16 to $27,300 in 2024-25.
Admission, completion and retention
Share of applicants admitted, of students who finish and of first-year students who come back
Admission and students
- Admission rate
- 66%
- Average SAT
- 1,129
- Undergraduates
- 2,773
- Graduate students
- 300
- Part-time students
- 11%
- Women
- 54%
- Students per teacher
- 19
- Completion rate
- 49%
- Retention rate
- 83%
- Highest degree
- Graduate degree
- Programs
- 459
- Endowment
- $64.7M
- Other
- Hispanic-serving, Religious affiliation
Earnings and debt
Compared with the medians of the colleges of its state, of colleges of the same kind and of all US colleges
Median earnings 10 years after starting rank 1,196 of 5,094 US colleges and 19 of 120 in Tennessee (1 = highest).
| Measure | College | TN median | Same kind | US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net price | $24,345 | $15,261 | $22,320 | $17,138 |
| Tuition in-state | $27,300 | $15,120 | $31,170 | $11,837 |
| Admission rate | 66% | 70% | 74% | 78% |
| Completion rate | 49% | 60% | 57% | 58% |
| Retention rate | 83% | 74% | 77% | 75% |
| Median debt | $24,500 | $15,784 | $24,287 | $13,271 |
| Earnings after 6 years | $44,818 | $34,684 | $44,392 | $35,656 |
| Earnings after 10 years | $53,723 | $38,610 | $52,928 | $40,813 |
Best-paid programs
Median earnings 1 year after graduation
Same kind: US private nonprofit 4-year colleges. Earnings and debt are medians of former students who received federal student aid. 63% of borrowers lowered their balance within 3 years. 72% earn more than a typical high school graduate 6 years after starting.
Programs
459 fields of study and credentials, with graduates, debt and earnings
| Field of study | Graduates | Median debt | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yr | US median 4 yr | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingAssociate's | Associate's | 90 | $19,500 | $61,225 | $75,891 | $80,813 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingBachelor's | Bachelor's | 63 | $27,000 | $66,005 | $83,525 | $88,910 |
| Biology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 38 | $23,250 | Withheld | Withheld | $57,214 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingMaster's | Master's | 25 | $50,978 | $105,170 | $112,639 | $120,193 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/FitnessBachelor's | Bachelor's | 21 | $25,975 | Withheld | $59,895 | $54,562 |
| Social WorkMaster's | Master's | 21 | $30,750 | $47,542 | $52,732 | $65,123 |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 20 | Withheld | Withheld | $48,307 | $68,257 |
| Accounting and Related ServicesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 17 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $76,194 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 15 | $24,249 | $43,283 | $50,119 | $47,382 |
| Social WorkBachelor's | Bachelor's | 15 | $22,250 | Withheld | $51,516 | $51,790 |
| Theological and Ministerial StudiesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 14 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $44,535 |
| Clinical, Counseling and Applied PsychologyMaster's | Master's | 14 | $54,950 | $44,970 | $54,779 | $65,184 |
| Computer ScienceBachelor's | Bachelor's | 12 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $107,009 |
| Film/Video and Photographic ArtsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 12 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $43,765 |
| Allied Health and Medical Assisting ServicesAssociate's | Associate's | 12 | - | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesAssociate's | Associate's | 9 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $44,125 |
| Building/Construction Finishing, Management, and InspectionAssociate's | Associate's | 8 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $59,378 |
| Rehabilitation and Therapeutic ProfessionsAssociate's | Associate's | 8 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $43,854 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingProfessional | Professional | 8 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $133,099 |
| Management Sciences and Quantitative MethodsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 8 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $86,176 |
| Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular BiologyBachelor's | Bachelor's | 7 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $65,466 |
| ChemistryBachelor's | Bachelor's | 7 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $65,120 |
| Psychology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 7 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $50,706 |
| Clinical, Counseling and Applied PsychologyBachelor's | Bachelor's | 7 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $50,523 |
| Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied ProfessionsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 7 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $75,975 |
In the area
- Jobs, pay and new homes: Tennessee on Local Economy
- More colleges: All colleges in Tennessee
- Homes: Homes for sale in Tennessee
Questions and answers
How much does Southern Adventist University cost?
$24,345 a year is the average net price at Southern Adventist University after grants and scholarships. Tuition and fees are $27,300, and the full cost of attendance with housing, food and books is $38,618. Families earning under $30,000 pay $19,123 on average.
What is the acceptance rate at Southern Adventist University?
66% of applicants are admitted to Southern Adventist University. The average SAT score of admitted students is 1,129. The median admission rate of colleges in Tennessee is 70%.
How much do Southern Adventist University graduates earn?
$53,723 a year is the median pay of former Southern Adventist University students who work, 10 years after they started ($44,818 after 6 years). That ranks 1,196 of 5,094 US colleges and 19 of 120 in Tennessee. Its best-paid program one year after graduation is Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's) at $105,170.
How much student debt do Southern Adventist University graduates have?
$24,500 is the median federal student loan debt of Southern Adventist University graduates, about $260 a month over 10 years. The median across US colleges is $13,271. 42% of undergraduates take out federal loans.
What is the graduation rate at Southern Adventist University?
49% of first-time, full-time students at Southern Adventist University finish within 6 years. 83% of first-year students come back for a second year. The median of private nonprofit 4-year colleges is 57%.
What are the most popular majors at Southern Adventist University?
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (90 associate's graduates), Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (63 bachelor's graduates), Biology, General (38 bachelor's graduates) had the most graduates in the newest year, out of 459 programs.
Official public data, June 2026 release. Net price is for first-time, full-time students who get aid. Completion counts first-time, full-time students who finish within 150% of the normal time. Debt and earnings are medians of students who received federal student aid, measured a few years after they left, in the dollars of the year measured; earnings count former students who work and are not enrolled, including those who did not finish.