Southern Virginia University
Buena Vista, Virginia · Also known as SVU · Website
$50,002
median earnings, 10 years after starting
$50,002
median earnings, 10 years after starting
Southern Virginia University is a private nonprofit 4-year college in Buena Vista, Virginia with 936 undergraduates. Its average net price after grants is $22,213 a year (tuition and fees $21,280). It admits 96% of applicants and 33% of students finish within 6 years. Former students earn a median $50,002 a year 10 years after they started, and graduates leave with a median $24,224 in federal student loans.
Updated Oct 10, 2026 · June 2026 data
Net price
$22,213
US median $17,138
Tuition and fees
$21,280
US median $11,837
Admission rate
96%
US median 78%
Completion rate
33%
Within 6 years, US 58%
Median debt
$24,224
About $257 a month
Earnings at 10 years
$50,002
Rank 1,471 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
- $22,213
- Tuition and fees
- $21,280
- Cost of attendance
- $34,431
- Students with a need-based grant
- 45%
- Students with federal loans
- 57%
- Net price, family income under $30K
- $18,957
- Net price, family income $30K to $48K
- $19,501
- Net price, family income $48K to $75K
- $20,630
- Net price, family income $75K to $110K
- $23,407
- Net price, family income over $110K
- $27,108
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 $14,900 in 2015-16 to $21,280 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
- 96%
- SAT reading, middle
- 571
- SAT math, middle
- 552
- ACT, middle
- 22
- Undergraduates
- 936
- Part-time students
- 2.5%
- Women
- 47%
- Students per teacher
- 14
- Completion rate
- 33%
- Retention rate
- 74%
- Highest degree
- Bachelor's degree
- Programs
- 21
- Endowment
- $1.87M
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 1,471 of 5,094 US colleges and 42 of 127 in Virginia (1 = highest).
| Measure | College | VA median | Same kind | US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net price | $22,213 | $19,081 | $22,320 | $17,138 |
| Tuition in-state | $21,280 | $16,364 | $31,170 | $11,837 |
| Admission rate | 96% | 80% | 74% | 78% |
| Completion rate | 33% | 52% | 57% | 58% |
| Retention rate | 74% | 73% | 77% | 75% |
| Median debt | $24,224 | $20,000 | $24,287 | $13,271 |
| Earnings after 6 years | $36,988 | $36,582 | $44,392 | $35,656 |
| Earnings after 10 years | $50,002 | $42,837 | $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. 46% of borrowers lowered their balance within 3 years. 61% earn more than a typical high school graduate 6 years after starting.
Programs
21 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business/Commerce, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 44 | Withheld | Withheld | $56,726 | $68,407 |
| Psychology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 42 | Withheld | Withheld | $36,808 | $50,706 |
| Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular BiologyBachelor's | Bachelor's | 23 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $65,466 |
| English Language and Literature, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 14 | Withheld | Withheld | $33,115 | $48,590 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 14 | $17,125 | $22,024 | $40,419 | $53,072 |
| Biology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 14 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $57,214 |
| Visual and Performing Arts, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 14 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $41,688 |
| MusicBachelor's | Bachelor's | 10 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $42,892 |
| Computer and Information Sciences, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 9 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Human Development, Family Studies, and Related ServicesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 9 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $48,568 |
| HistoryBachelor's | Bachelor's | 7 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $50,680 |
| Political Science and GovernmentBachelor's | Bachelor's | 5 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $63,293 |
| MathematicsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 4 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $69,562 |
| Romance Languages, Literatures, and LinguisticsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 3 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $55,000 |
| Drama/Theatre Arts and StagecraftBachelor's | Bachelor's | 3 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $39,775 |
| PhilosophyBachelor's | Bachelor's | 2 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $54,455 |
| Classics and Classical Languages, Literatures, and LinguisticsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 0 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Area StudiesBachelor's | Bachelor's | - | Withheld | - | Withheld | $56,625 |
| Computer ScienceBachelor's | Bachelor's | - | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $107,009 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsBachelor's | Bachelor's | - | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $47,382 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject AreasBachelor's | Bachelor's | - | Withheld | - | Withheld | $51,389 |
In the area
- Jobs, pay and new homes: the county of Buena Vista and Virginia on Local Economy
- More colleges: All colleges in Virginia
- Homes: Homes for sale in Virginia
Questions and answers
How much does Southern Virginia University cost?
$22,213 a year is the average net price at Southern Virginia University after grants and scholarships. Tuition and fees are $21,280, and the full cost of attendance with housing, food and books is $34,431. Families earning under $30,000 pay $18,957 on average.
What is the acceptance rate at Southern Virginia University?
96% of applicants are admitted to Southern Virginia University. The median admission rate of colleges in Virginia is 80%.
How much do Southern Virginia University graduates earn?
$50,002 a year is the median pay of former Southern Virginia University students who work, 10 years after they started ($36,988 after 6 years). That ranks 1,471 of 5,094 US colleges and 42 of 127 in Virginia. Its best-paid program one year after graduation is Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Bachelor's) at $22,024.
How much student debt do Southern Virginia University graduates have?
$24,224 is the median federal student loan debt of Southern Virginia University graduates, about $257 a month over 10 years. The median across US colleges is $13,271. 57% of undergraduates take out federal loans.
What is the graduation rate at Southern Virginia University?
33% of first-time, full-time students at Southern Virginia University finish within 6 years. 74% 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 Virginia University?
Business/Commerce, General (44 bachelor's graduates), Psychology, General (42 bachelor's graduates), Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology (23 bachelor's graduates) had the most graduates in the newest year, out of 21 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.