Doctoral/ProfessionalPrivate nonprofit

Samford University

Birmingham, Alabama·Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above·Southeast·samford.edu
6-yr Graduation
77%
+12.5pp vs Doctoral/Professional
Total enrollment
6,097
peer median 5,169
Avg net price
$30,795
+$8.5k vs Doctoral/Professional
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Admissions & acceptance rate

First-time freshman admissions: how selective the college is, and how many admitted students choose to enroll.

Applied
4,559
4,559 candidates competed
Admitted
3,755
82.4% acceptance rate
Enrolled
1,087
28.9% yield

Graduation rate & outcomes

Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.

Overall completion
77%+12.5pp vs Doctoral/Professional
4-year graduation
68%
6-year graduation (bachelor’s)
77%
Full-time retention
93%

Pell equity

6.0pp gap
Pell recipients
66%
Non-Pell
72%

Non-Pell students graduate at a 6.0-point higher rate than Pell recipients.

Program outcomes

Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.

Of 99 Title IV programs, 25 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 74 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
99
Passing
25
25.3% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
0
0.0% of portfolio
Fail rate
0.0%
-0.6pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

99programs
  • Passing25 · 25.3%
  • No Data74 · 74.7%
  • Failing0 · 0.0%

Severity spectrum

Critical
0
Severe
0
Recoverable
0
At Risk
0
Watch
3
Safe
22
No data
74

Tiers band programs by how far graduate earnings sit above or below the benchmark, from Critical (below −15%) through Safe (above +25%). No data means earnings were privacy-suppressed.

Earnings premium gap

Graduate earnings versus the federal benchmark, worst gaps first.

25
Communication Disorders Sciences and Services
Master's Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
+11.7%
$57,010 vs $51,030
Theological and Ministerial Studies
Master's Degree · Theology And Religious Vocations
+12.3%
$50,016 vs $44,535
Teacher Education and Professional Development Specific Levels and Methods
Master's Degree · Education
+22.2%
$54,714 vs $44,780
Educational Administration and Supervision
Master's Degree · Education
+41.4%
$63,341 vs $44,780
Social Work
Master's Degree · Public Administration And Social Service Professions
+51.0%
$55,271 vs $36,597
Sports Kinesiology and Physical Education/Fitness
Bachelor Degree · Parks, Recreation, Leisure, And Fitness Studies
+52.3%
$47,117 vs $30,927
Journalism
Bachelor Degree · Communication, Journalism, And Related Programs
+63.8%
$50,652 vs $30,927
Human Development Family Studies and Related Services
Bachelor Degree · Family And Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences
+64.3%
$50,809 vs $30,927

Debt vs earnings

Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.

19
Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions
Master's Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
188%
$159,739 debt · $85,180 earn
Pharmacy Pharmaceutical Sciences and Administration
Doctoral Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
155%
$206,313 debt · $132,942 earn
Law
Doctoral Degree · Legal Professions And Studies
133%
$121,667 debt · $91,687 earn
Communication Disorders Sciences and Services
Master's Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
93%
$52,965 debt · $57,010 earn
Social Work
Master's Degree · Public Administration And Social Service Professions
93%
$51,234 debt · $55,271 earn
Theological and Ministerial Studies
Master's Degree · Theology And Religious Vocations
80%
$40,200 debt · $50,016 earn
Educational Administration and Supervision
Doctoral Degree · Education
65%
$68,399 debt · $105,374 earn
Registered Nursing Nursing Administration Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing
Master's Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
63%
$80,078 debt · $127,084 earn

Accreditation status & history

Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.

AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges

Accredited since 1920Next review Dec 2027

Programmatic accreditations · 18

Action history · 28

  1. Aug 2025Grant Substantive Change: Program
    Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
  2. Jun 2025Renewal of Accreditation
    Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education · Pharmacy (PHAR) - Professional degree programs
  3. May 2025Renewal of Accreditation
    Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education · Nursing (CNURED) - Nursing education programs at the baccalaureate degree levels
  4. May 2025Renewal of Accreditation
    Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education · Nursing (CNDNP) - Nursing education programs at the doctorate degree levels
  5. May 2025Renewal of Accreditation
    Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education · Nursing (CNURED) - Nursing education programs at the graduate degree levels

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Tuition & cost

What families actually pay, broken down by family income.

Net price by family income

Aid exceeds costFamily pays
$0–30k$21,891
$30–48k$24,253
$48–75k$27,995
$75–110k$32,769
$110k+$33,894

Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.

Avg net price (private)
$30,795
+$8,510vs Doctoral/Professional median $22,285
Federal loans
28.7%
In-state tuition
$38,144
Out-of-state
$38,144

Federal aid volume & trends

Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.

In AY 2024–25, 651 students received $3.8M in Pell grants, alongside $66.8M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
651
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$3.8M
$3,847,069 total
Direct Loans
$66.8M
4,095 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

0k
20
0k
21
0k
22
0k
23
1k
24

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Subsidized$3.0M
718 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$3.9M
988 loan awards
Unsubsidized · Grad$24.2M
1,108 loan awards
Parent PLUS$10.8M
431 loan awards
Grad PLUS$24.9M
850 loan awards

Loan awards count each loan type a student holds, not unique borrowers; one student may carry several (e.g. subsidized and unsubsidized), so the per-type figures are the reliable detail.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student loan default rate

The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.

Of 944 borrowers who entered repayment, 9 (0.9%) defaulted within three years below the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
0.9%
-1.4pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
944
Defaulted
9
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
2.9%
2017
2.6%
2018
2.0%
2019
0.9%
2020*
0.0%
This institutionNational rate

* Cohorts 2020 and later read near 0% because the federal COVID-19 payment pause (CARES Act) suspended defaults nationwide. These years reflect a national policy, not institutional performance; the 2019 cohort is the last measured under normal repayment.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Academic programs at Samford

Top program areas ranked by completions.

Distinct CIP programs109
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

1,550 total completions
01Health Professions
66843.1%
02Business
26116.8%
03Legal Professions
18111.7%
04Education
1107.1%
05Communication
734.7%
06Visual/Performing Arts
724.6%
07Family/Consumer Sci
573.7%
08Theology
563.6%
09Psychology
412.6%
10Public Admin
312.0%

Enrollment trends & demographics

Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.

Fall total
6,097
12-mo unduplicated
6,227
Undergraduate
3,936
Graduate
2,291

Gender split

Men
34%2,102
Women
66%4,125

Race / ethnicity composition

White
85.7%
Hispanic
4.7%
Black
4.5%
Two or more
2.1%
Asian
1.3%
Non-resident
0.8%
Unknown
0.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native
0.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander
0.1%

Athletics & Title IX gender equity

How athletic participation, aid, and spending are split between men and women.

Athletes
431
281 M · 150 W
Women athletes
34.8%
Athletic aid
$9.6M
Total student aid
Budget
$22.2M
Total expenses

Men vs women · spending splits

Athletic student aid
$5.6M
$4.0M
Recruiting expense
$208K
$76K
Head-coach salaries
$154K
$83K
Men Women

Sport-by-sport · 9

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)
104 M · 99 W
$2.4M
Football
148 M ·
$5.9M
Baseball
43 M ·
$1.3M
Basketball
22 M · 13 W
$3.9M
Soccer
· 33 W
$1.1M
Tennis
14 M · 12 W
$944K

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Campus safety & crime statistics

Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.

Criminal offenses · per 1,000 students
0.53
3 offenses · 5,682 students

3-year trend

0.702 yrs ago0.871 yr ago0.53Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
12
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
1
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
1
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
0

Criminal offenses by type

Rape
1
Burglary
1
Aggravated assault
1

By location

3total
  • On campus2
  • Non-campus1

VAWA offenses

0
Domestic violence
1
Dating violence
0
Stalking
1 total under the Violence Against Women Act.

Hate crimes by bias

  • Race1

Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

CategoryArrestsReferrals
Weapons07
Drugs22
Liquor056

Residence-hall fires

No residence-hall fires reported.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student-faculty ratio

Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.

Student-to-faculty
14.0:1
Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
358

Samford vs Peer comparison

The peer institutions Samford selected for federal comparison reporting.

GraduationRetentionSelectivityEnrollmentAffordabilityYield
This institutionPeer median

A larger shape on any axis means this institution outperforms its peers on that dimension. For acceptance rate and net price, lower raw values are inverted so "more selective" and "more affordable" appear larger.

Carnegie
SubjectSamford University
77%6,097$30,795Doctoral/Professional
Lincoln Memorial University
47%62.6%6,081$17,999Doctoral/Professional
Harding University
69%70.5%4,696$20,579Doctoral/Professional
Campbell University
60%87.2%4,963$23,991Doctoral/Professional
Lipscomb University
72%67.7%5,017$25,610Doctoral/Professional
William Carey University
60%60.3%5,321$17,052Doctoral/Professional
Peer group median65%67.7%5,169$22,285

Frequently asked questions about Samford University

Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Samford.

What is the graduation rate at Samford University?

Samford University reports a 6-year graduation rate of 77% per the latest IPEDS.

How many students attend Samford University?

Samford University reports a total enrollment of 6,097 students per the latest IPEDS.

What is the average net price at Samford University?

The average net price at Samford University is $30,795 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

What is the yield rate at Samford University?

Samford University's yield rate is 28.9%, the share of admitted students who enrolled, per the latest IPEDS.

Where is Samford University located?

Samford University is located in Birmingham, Alabama 35229-2240.

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