Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium ProgramsPrivate nonprofitHSI

Southern Adventist University

Collegedale, Tennessee·Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above·Southeast·southern.edu
6-yr Graduation
49%
-10.0pp vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs
Total enrollment
3,229
peer median 2,768
Avg net price
$24,345
+$4.2k vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs
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AdmissionsOutcomesProgram outcomesAccreditationCostFederal aidLoan defaultsAcademic programsEnrollment trendsCampus safetyFacultyPeersIR Office

Admissions & acceptance rate

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

IPEDS
Applied
2,907
2,907 candidates competed
Admitted
1,904
65.5% acceptance rate
Enrolled
703
36.9% yield

Graduation rate & outcomes

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

IPEDS
Overall completion
49%-10.0pp vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs
4-year graduation
35%
6-year graduation (bachelor’s)
55%
Full-time retention
83%

Pell equity

15.3pp gap
Pell recipients
40%76 of 190
Non-Pell (all)
55%167 of 302
Subsidized loan, no Pell
46%30 of 65
No Federal Aid
58%137 of 237

Non-Pell students graduate at a 15.3-point higher rate than Pell recipients.

Source: IPEDS Graduation Rates (GR) — Pell/SSL cohort, 2024 cohort.

Program outcomes

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

FVT/GE

Of 122 Title IV programs, 9 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 113 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
122
Passing
9
7.4% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
0
0.0% of portfolio
Fail rate
0.0%
-0.6pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

122programs
  • Passing9 · 7.4%
  • No Data113 · 92.6%
  • Failing0 · 0.0%

Severity spectrum

Critical
0
Severe
0
Recoverable
0
At Risk
0
Watch
2
Safe
7
No data
113

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.

9
Clinical Counseling and Applied Psychology
Master's Degree · Psychology
+12.6%
$54,779 vs $48,653
Social Work
Master's Degree · Public Administration And Social Service Professions
+14.2%
$52,732 vs $46,158
Business Administration Management and Operations
Bachelor Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
+38.8%
$48,307 vs $34,808
Teacher Education and Professional Development Specific Levels and Methods
Bachelor Degree · Education
+44.0%
$50,119 vs $34,808
Social Work
Bachelor Degree · Public Administration And Social Service Professions
+48.0%
$51,516 vs $34,808
Sports Kinesiology and Physical Education/Fitness
Bachelor Degree · Parks, Recreation, Leisure, And Fitness Studies
+72.1%
$59,895 vs $34,808
Registered Nursing Nursing Administration Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing
Master's Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
+87.4%
$112,639 vs $60,112
Registered Nursing Nursing Administration Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing
Associate Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
+118.0%
$75,891 vs $34,808

Debt vs earnings

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

9
Clinical Counseling and Applied Psychology
Master's Degree · Psychology
111%
$60,720 debt · $54,779 earn
Social Work
Master's Degree · Public Administration And Social Service Professions
73%
$38,647 debt · $52,732 earn
Business Administration Management and Operations
Bachelor Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
56%
$26,917 debt · $48,307 earn
Teacher Education and Professional Development Specific Levels and Methods
Bachelor Degree · Education
52%
$25,806 debt · $50,119 earn
Social Work
Bachelor Degree · Public Administration And Social Service Professions
48%
$24,625 debt · $51,516 earn
Registered Nursing Nursing Administration Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing
Master's Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
46%
$51,250 debt · $112,639 earn
Sports Kinesiology and Physical Education/Fitness
Bachelor Degree · Parks, Recreation, Leisure, And Fitness Studies
42%
$25,000 debt · $59,895 earn
Registered Nursing Nursing Administration Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing
Bachelor Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
33%
$27,833 debt · $83,525 earn

Accreditation status & history

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

DAPIP
AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges

Accredited since 1936Next review Jun 2028

Programmatic accreditations · 8

Action history · 15

  1. Sep 2025Grant Substantive Change: Program
    Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
  2. Jul 2023Grant Substantive Change: Other
    Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing, Inc. — May 6, 2013 Formerly: National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission · Nursing (CLNUR) - Clinical Doctorate
  3. Jul 2023Grant Substantive Change: Program
    Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
  4. Dec 2022Renewal of Accreditation
    Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
  5. Aug 2022Grant Substantive Change: Other
    Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing, Inc. — May 6, 2013 Formerly: National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission · Nursing (MNUR) - Master's program

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Tuition & cost

What families actually pay, broken down by family income.

College Scorecard

Net price by family income

Aid exceeds costFamily pays
$0–30k$19,123
$30–48k$20,421
$48–75k$22,849
$75–110k$26,679
$110k+$30,751

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

Avg net price (private)
$24,345
+$4,224vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs median $20,122
Federal loans
42.0%
In-state tuition
$27,300
Out-of-state
$27,300

Federal aid volume & trends

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

Federal Student Aid

In AY 2024–25, 996 students received $6.1M in Pell grants, alongside $11.3M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
996
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$6.1M
$6,080,112 total
Direct Loans
$11.3M
2,103 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

1k
’20
1k
’21
1k
’22
1k
’23
1k
’24

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Subsidized$3.5M
852 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$3.4M
965 loan awards
Unsubsidized · Grad$1.8M
121 loan awards
Parent PLUS$2.5M
152 loan awards
Grad PLUS$131K
13 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.

Cohort Default Rate

Of 727 borrowers who entered repayment, 9 (1.2%) defaulted within three years — below the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
1.2%
-1.1pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
727
Defaulted
9
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
4.5%
2017
5.6%
2018
4.5%
2019
1.2%
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 Southern Adventist

Top program areas ranked by completions.

IPEDS
Distinct CIP programs141
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

570 total completions
01Health Professions
21337.4%
02Business
6912.1%
03Psychology
5710.0%
04Biological Sciences
569.8%
05Education
396.8%
06Public Admin
346.0%
07Visual/Performing Arts
335.8%
08Parks/Recreation
244.2%
09Communication
234.0%
10Computer Sciences
223.9%

Enrollment trends & demographics

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

IPEDS
Fall total
3,229
12-mo unduplicated
4,516
Undergraduate
4,088
Graduate
428

Gender split

Men
44%2,003
Women
56%2,513

Race / ethnicity composition

White
36.6%
Hispanic
26.0%
Asian
14.2%
Non-resident
7.7%
Two or more
6.6%
Black
5.6%
Unknown
3.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander
0.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native
0.0%

Campus safety & crime statistics

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

Clery Act
Criminal offenses · per 1,000 students
0.63
2 offenses · 3,154 students

3-year trend

0.372 yrs ago0.691 yr ago0.63Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
5
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
16
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
0
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
2

Criminal offenses by type

Rape
1
Fondling
1

By location

2total
  • On campus2

Includes 2 in residence halls (a subset of on-campus, not added to the total).

VAWA offenses

0
Domestic violence
1
Dating violence
6
Stalking
7 total under the Violence Against Women Act.

Hate crimes by bias

No hate crimes reported.

Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

CategoryArrestsReferrals
Weapons00
Drugs00
Liquor03

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.

IPEDS
Student-to-faculty
19.0:1
Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
142

Southern Adventist vs Peer comparison

The peer institutions Southern Adventist selected for federal comparison reporting.

IPEDS
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
SubjectSouthern Adventist University
49%—3,229$24,345Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs
Lee University
63%70.5%3,714$18,878Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs
Cumberland University
42%67.3%3,457$18,759Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs
Freed-Hardeman University
69%59.7%2,306$21,574Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs
Christian Brothers University
55%86.7%1,772$9,854Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs
Milligan University
63%72.3%1,240$21,365Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs
Peer group median59%70.5%2,768$20,122

Institutions like Southern Adventist

Explore the federal data for institutions in Southern Adventist's comparison group.

IPEDS

Southern Adventist Institutional Research office

The IR team responsible for the institution's federal reporting.

Office
Office of Institutional Research and Planning
Email
oirp [at] southern.edu
Phone
423-236-2003
Address
4881 Taylor Circle, Collegedale, TN 37315, Wright Hall - 2nd Floor

Consistent with the university mission, the Office of Institutional Research and Planning serves as the "conscience and consciousness" of the university in fulfillment of its institutional mission and vision.

Visit IR office page
Team
2 members
  • Chris Hansen
    Director
  • Michele McFarlane
    Business Intelligence Analyst

Frequently asked questions about Southern Adventist University

Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Southern Adventist.

What is the graduation rate at Southern Adventist University?

Southern Adventist University reports a 6-year graduation rate of 49% per the latest IPEDS.

How many students attend Southern Adventist University?

Southern Adventist University reports a total enrollment of 3,229 students per the latest IPEDS.

What is the average net price at Southern Adventist University?

The average net price at Southern Adventist University is $24,345 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

What is the yield rate at Southern Adventist University?

Southern Adventist University's yield rate is 36.9%, the share of admitted students who enrolled, per the latest IPEDS.

Where is Southern Adventist University located?

Southern Adventist University is located in Collegedale, Tennessee 37315-0370.

Who runs Institutional Research at Southern Adventist University?

Southern Adventist University's IR work is done by the Office of Institutional Research and Planning.

About the data on this page

Every figure comes from an official federal or public source. Here is each one and the release it is currently on.

IPEDS2025 provisional data (Fall 2025–26 release, July 28, 2026)
Enrollment, completions, graduation rates, tuition, financial aid, staffing, and finance for every U.S. institution in federal student aid programs.
National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education
College ScorecardJune 10, 2026 release (merged 2025–26 files)
Institution and field-of-study costs, graduate earnings, debt, completion, and admissions outcomes compiled from federal aid records, tax data, and IPEDS.
U.S. Department of Education
FVT/GE program performanceProvisional preview, May 18, 2026 release
Program-level debt-to-earnings and earnings-premium measures behind the FVT/GE and STATS accountability frameworks.
U.S. Department of Education
DAPIP accreditationContinuously refreshed
Accreditation status for institutions and programs, reported by recognized accrediting agencies.
U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education
Federal Pell Grant volumeAY 2025–26 (through Q3), through March 31, 2026
Pell Grant recipient counts, award amounts, and disbursements by institution and award year.
U.S. Department of Education, Federal Student Aid
Federal student loan volumeAY 2025–26 (through Q3), through March 31, 2026
Federal Direct Loan recipient counts and disbursement volume by institution and award year.
U.S. Department of Education, Federal Student Aid
Cohort Default RatesFY 2022 official rates
Institution-level federal student loan default rates, measuring borrowers who default within three years of entering repayment.
U.S. Department of Education, Federal Student Aid
Equity in Athletics (EADA)Academic year 2024–25
Athletics participation, coaching, revenues, and expenses by sport and gender for Title IV institutions.
U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education
Campus Safety & SecurityData through reporting year 2024
Criminal offenses, arrests, disciplinary actions, VAWA offenses, and fire statistics reported by campus under the Clery Act.
U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education
Last reviewed July 2026All data sources & release dates →

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