Southern Adventist University
Collegedale, TN · Private · Large suburb · SAU
Private institution in Collegedale, TN · 2,673 undergraduates · 67% acceptance rate · $53,723 median earnings 10 years after entry.
Stats
College Scorecard figures, each with where this school sits nationally among institutions that report the same measure. A dash means the school does not report it.
Cost
- Average net price
- $24,3341,437th cheapest of 1,969 reporting
- In-state tuition & fees
- $25,5901,231st cheapest of 2,024 reporting
- Out-of-state tuition & fees
- $25,5901,082nd cheapest of 2,024 reporting
- Cost of attendance
- $37,8751,160th cheapest of 1,969 reporting
- Median graduate debt
- $24,5001,189th lowest of 1,865 reporting
Outcomes
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $53,723870th highest of 1,954 reporting
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $44,818900th highest of 1,950 reporting
- Graduation rate (4-year)
- 51.4%1,091st highest of 2,014 reporting
- Full-time retention
- 82.0%563rd highest of 1,837 reporting
Admissions
- Acceptance rate
- 66.6%529th most selective of 1,596 reporting
- Average SAT
- 1116640th highest of 1,022 reporting
- Median ACT
- —
Campus
- Undergraduates
- 2,673764th largest of 2,144 reporting
- Student-faculty ratio
- 16.0:11,454th smallest of 2,141 reporting
- Pell Grant share
- 30.9%1,135th highest of 2,122 reporting
Nearest large-hub airport: 104 mi (ATL)
On 2 of our 111 lists
Every published ranking this school appears on, with its rank there.
Best-paying fields of study
Median earnings one and two years after graduating, by field. Showing 12 of 76 reported programs.
| Field | Level | 1 yr | 2 yr |
|---|---|---|---|
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingHealth Professions | bachelors | $56,702 | $53,579 |
| Accounting and Related ServicesBusiness | bachelors | $47,260 | — |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsEducation | bachelors | $44,170 | — |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject AreasEducation | bachelors | $43,798 | — |
| Theological and Ministerial StudiesTheology | bachelors | $41,565 | $32,925 |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsBusiness | bachelors | $37,208 | $34,530 |
| Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied CommunicationCommunications | bachelors | $30,119 | — |
| Design and Applied ArtsVisual & Performing Arts | bachelors | $20,140 | — |
| Film/Video and Photographic ArtsVisual & Performing Arts | bachelors | $18,315 | — |
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment ProfessionsHealth Professions | bachelors | — | — |
| Allied Health and Medical Assisting ServicesHealth Professions | bachelors | — | — |
| ArcheologySocial Sciences | bachelors | — | — |
Campus facts
- Religious affiliation: Seventh Day Adventistssource
- Founded in 1892source
- Motto: "Power for Mind and Soul"source
- Campus size: about 1,000 acressource
- Formerly known as "{{unbulleted list"source
- Formerly known as "| Graysville Academy" (1892–1897)source
- Formerly known as "| Southern Industrial School" (1897–1901)source
- Formerly known as "| Southern Training School" (1901–1916)source
- Formerly known as "| Southern Junior College" (1916–1944)source
- Formerly known as "| Southern Missionary College" (1944–1982)source
- Formerly known as "| Southern College" (1982–1996)source
- Formerly known as "}}"source
Similar-size colleges
Nearest undergraduate enrollment to Southern Adventist University’s 2,673 (College Scorecard UGDS, compiled 2026-10-24). Size only — not a judgment of similarity or quality.
In TN
- Lee UniversityCleveland, TN · 2,712 undergrads
- Lipscomb UniversityNashville, TN · 3,021 undergrads
- Cumberland UniversityLebanon, TN · 2,053 undergrads
- Rhodes CollegeMemphis, TN · 1,931 undergrads
- SAE Institute of Technology-NashvilleNashville, TN · 1,800 undergrads
- Trevecca Nazarene UniversityNashville, TN · 1,697 undergrads
Elsewhere
- Drake UniversityDes Moines, IA · 2,669 undergrads
- Northwestern Michigan CollegeTraverse City, MI · 2,668 undergrads
- Keene State CollegeKeene, NH · 2,680 undergrads
- Truman State UniversityKirksville, MO · 2,666 undergrads
- University of West AlabamaLivingston, AL · 2,666 undergrads
- West Coast University-Los AngelesNorth Hollywood, CA · 2,687 undergrads
Key links
- Official websitesouthern.edu
- College ScorecardFederal source for every figure above (UNITID 221661)
- Compare colleges in TNRe-score with your weights
- The Most Selective Colleges in TennesseeEvery eligible four-year in this state, ranked by published admission rate
- Compare with Lee UniversitySide by side on every Scorecard measure — closest in-state school by enrollment
- Showdown: Southern Adventist University vs Lee UniversityHigher-or-lower on real Scorecard metrics — round 1 is these two
- Build an admissions plan8th–12th grade actions for this college — sports, activities, timeline
- MethodologyWhat these figures do and do not capture
- How to read a school page end to endStats, standings, lists, athletics, news — one profile, many jobs. Know which panel answers which question.
- Sticker price is a trapPublished tuition is a starting rumor. Net price is closer to what families actually pay.
- What acceptance rate actually measuresSelectivity is a competition statistic — not a quality score, and not your personal odds.
- A plan from eighth grade — without fake certaintySchool-anchored milestones, sports scarcity honesty, and EC playbooks — not invented admit odds.