Private for-profit · University

South University-Savannah Online

Savannah, Georgia · Midsize city

Admit rate
$28,049
Avg net price
7%
Graduation rate
$34,421
Median earnings

South University-Savannah Online is a private for-profit bachelor's-granting institution in Savannah, Georgia (midsize city setting), enrolling 6,433 undergraduates. Programs are offered entirely online.

Private for-profitMidsize · 6,433 undergradsMidsize cityNear the coast

About Savannah, Georgia

Savannah is a city in, and county seat of, Chatham County, Georgia, United States. On February 12, 1733, General James Oglethorpe and settlers from the ship Anne landed at Yamacraw Bluff and were greeted by Tomochichi, the Yamacraws, and Indian traders John and Mary Musgrove. Mary Musgrove often served as an interpreter. Beyond its architectural significance as the nation's largest, historically restored urban area, Savannah has a rich and growing performing arts scene and offers cultural events throughout the year. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Midsize city
Highest degree offered
Graduate
Nearest big city
6 miles to Savannah, GA
To the ocean
6 miles

How South University-Savannah Online compares

Graduation rate7%

Higher than 2% · #54 of 54 in Georgia

First-year retention34%

Higher than 2%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$34,421

Higher than 6% · #52 of 54 in Georgia

Average net price$28,049

Cheaper than 21% · #46 cheapest of 54 in Georgia

Median debt at graduation$26,123

Lower than 22%

Student–faculty ratio30 : 1

Lower than 2%

Undergraduate enrollment6,433

Larger than 82%

Percentiles compare South University-Savannah Online with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Georgia.

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

8,797students
  • Undergraduate6,43373%
  • Graduate2,36427%

Undergraduates by gender

6,433undergrads
  • Women4,90876%
  • Men1,52524%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White31%
  • Black43%
  • Hispanic12%
  • Other or multiracial14%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
6,433
Graduate enrollment
2,364
Student–faculty ratio
30 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
80%
First-generation students
47%
Students over 25
80%
Median family income
$20,000
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$55,629

Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.

Cost

In-state tuition
$18,145
Room & board
Books & supplies
$540
Total cost of attendance
$34,298
Average net price
$28,049

Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.

Outcomes

Graduated (within 6 years)
7%
Graduated on time (4 years)
5%
First-year retention
34%
Transferred to another college
1%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$34,115
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$34,421
Median debt at graduation
$26,123
Students with federal loans
73%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
19%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
5%
Low-income (Pell)
18%
First-generation
21%

When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing
No
Application fee
$75

Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.

What you'll actually pay, by family income

Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.

< $30k
$27,856
$30–48k
$28,368
$48–75k
$29,209
$75–110k
$34,126
$110k+
$34,298

College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.

Four-year (or more) true cost

Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.

Est. total to a degree
$128,219

$29,209/year × about 4.4 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.

Does the school pay you to attend?

Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.

2%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$3,661
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 2% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $3,661. Most of what lowers the price here is federal or state money, not the school's own funds.

Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 623 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.

Is it worth it?

A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.

Median earnings (10 years)
$34,421
Typical debt at graduation
$26,123
Debt vs. one year's pay
76%
Out-earn a HS grad
48%

Typical debt would take roughly 7.6 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Weigh it value

The payoff is less clear-cut here — weigh the debt against the earnings and your intended field before borrowing heavily.

Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.

The pay gap here

Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.

Women
$32,983
Men
$40,459

Men out-earn women by $7,476 (23%) a decade out.

Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.

Campus climate

Summer high
92°F
Winter low
40°F
Annual rain
48.1″

Average temperature

HighLow
30°70°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.03.46.7JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Savannah Intl AP, GA US station (10.9 mi from campus).

Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.

Colleges similar to South University-Savannah Online

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare South University-Savannah Online side by side →

Colleges near South University-Savannah Online

Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.