The University of the South
Sewanee, Tennessee · Also known as Sewanee|University of the South · Website
$64,911
median earnings, 10 years after starting
$64,911
median earnings, 10 years after starting
The University of the South is a private nonprofit 4-year college in Sewanee, Tennessee with 1,607 undergraduates and 80 graduate students. Its average net price after grants is $27,872 a year (tuition and fees $56,120). It admits 57% of applicants and 80% of students finish within 6 years. Former students earn a median $64,911 a year 10 years after they started, and graduates leave with a median $22,855 in federal student loans.
Updated Oct 10, 2026 · June 2026 data
Net price
$27,872
US median $17,138
Tuition and fees
$56,120
US median $11,837
Admission rate
57%
US median 78%
Completion rate
80%
Within 6 years, US 58%
Median debt
$22,855
About $242 a month
Earnings at 10 years
$64,911
Rank 537 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
- $27,872
- Tuition and fees
- $56,120
- Cost of attendance
- $71,986
- Students with a need-based grant
- 16%
- Students with federal loans
- 34%
- Net price, family income under $30K
- $10,485
- Net price, family income $30K to $48K
- $10,704
- Net price, family income $48K to $75K
- $17,746
- Net price, family income $75K to $110K
- $22,563
- Net price, family income over $110K
- $38,762
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 $38,700 in 2015-16 to $56,120 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
- 57%
- Average SAT
- 1,344
- SAT reading, middle
- 655
- SAT math, middle
- 640
- ACT, middle
- 29
- Undergraduates
- 1,607
- Graduate students
- 80
- Part-time students
- 0.9%
- Women
- 53%
- Students per teacher
- 9
- Completion rate
- 80%
- Retention rate
- 89%
- Highest degree
- Graduate degree
- Programs
- 40
- Endowment
- $499.9M
- Other
- 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 537 of 5,094 US colleges and 7 of 120 in Tennessee (1 = highest).
| Measure | College | TN median | Same kind | US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net price | $27,872 | $15,261 | $22,320 | $17,138 |
| Tuition in-state | $56,120 | $15,120 | $31,170 | $11,837 |
| Admission rate | 57% | 70% | 74% | 78% |
| Completion rate | 80% | 60% | 57% | 58% |
| Retention rate | 89% | 74% | 77% | 75% |
| Median debt | $22,855 | $15,784 | $24,287 | $13,271 |
| Earnings after 6 years | $53,456 | $34,684 | $44,392 | $35,656 |
| Earnings after 10 years | $64,911 | $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. 83% of borrowers lowered their balance within 3 years. 78% earn more than a typical high school graduate 6 years after starting.
Programs
40 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Psychology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 46 | $17,148 | $35,379 | $58,715 | $50,706 |
| EconomicsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 45 | $23,250 | $58,532 | $87,762 | $82,686 |
| Political Science and GovernmentBachelor's | Bachelor's | 38 | $24,267 | $31,831 | $72,682 | $63,293 |
| Biology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 35 | $25,000 | $23,932 | $47,695 | $57,214 |
| LiteratureBachelor's | Bachelor's | 34 | - | - | Withheld | - |
| HistoryBachelor's | Bachelor's | 30 | $21,500 | Withheld | Withheld | $50,680 |
| Theological and Ministerial StudiesMaster's | Master's | 29 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $61,300 |
| Neurobiology and NeurosciencesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 20 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $62,451 |
| Sustainability StudiesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 19 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $57,887 |
| Fine and Studio ArtsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 17 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $41,367 |
| Natural Resources Conservation and ResearchBachelor's | Bachelor's | 16 | Withheld | $35,204 | Withheld | $55,012 |
| International/Globalization StudiesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 16 | $19,500 | $42,390 | $70,907 | $59,972 |
| Finance and Financial Management ServicesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 15 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Romance Languages, Literatures, and LinguisticsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 11 | Withheld | Withheld | $59,821 | $55,000 |
| Geological and Earth Sciences/GeosciencesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 10 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $60,190 |
| Rhetoric and Composition/Writing StudiesMaster's | Master's | 8 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $55,035 |
| MathematicsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 8 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $69,562 |
| Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular BiologyBachelor's | Bachelor's | 7 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $65,466 |
| PhilosophyBachelor's | Bachelor's | 7 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $54,455 |
| Religion/Religious StudiesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 6 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $41,390 |
| ForestryBachelor's | Bachelor's | 5 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $58,784 |
| Rhetoric and Composition/Writing StudiesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 5 | - | - | Withheld | - |
| LiteratureMaster's | Master's | 4 | - | - | Withheld | - |
| Theological and Ministerial StudiesGraduate certificate | Graduate certificate | 4 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| AnthropologyBachelor's | Bachelor's | 4 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $46,676 |
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 The University of the South cost?
$27,872 a year is the average net price at The University of the South after grants and scholarships. Tuition and fees are $56,120, and the full cost of attendance with housing, food and books is $71,986. Families earning under $30,000 pay $10,485 on average.
What is the acceptance rate at The University of the South?
57% of applicants are admitted to The University of the South. The average SAT score of admitted students is 1,344 and the middle ACT score is 29. The median admission rate of colleges in Tennessee is 70%.
How much do The University of the South graduates earn?
$64,911 a year is the median pay of former The University of the South students who work, 10 years after they started ($53,456 after 6 years). That ranks 537 of 5,094 US colleges and 7 of 120 in Tennessee. Its best-paid program one year after graduation is Economics (Bachelor's) at $58,532.
How much student debt do The University of the South graduates have?
$22,855 is the median federal student loan debt of The University of the South graduates, about $242 a month over 10 years. The median across US colleges is $13,271. 34% of undergraduates take out federal loans.
What is the graduation rate at The University of the South?
80% of first-time, full-time students at The University of the South finish within 6 years. 89% 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 The University of the South?
Psychology, General (46 bachelor's graduates), Economics (45 bachelor's graduates), Political Science and Government (38 bachelor's graduates) had the most graduates in the newest year, out of 40 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.