Private nonprofit · University

Southern Adventist University

Collegedale, Tennessee · Large suburb

65.5%
Admit rate
$24,345
Avg net price
49%
Graduation rate
$53,723
Median earnings

Southern Adventist University is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Collegedale, Tennessee (large suburb setting), enrolling 2,773 undergraduates. It is a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI). It has a Seventh Day Adventists religious affiliation.

Private nonprofitMidsize · 2,773 undergradsLarge suburbAccessible · 66% admitCold winters

Will you get in?

See where your numbers land against Southern Adventist University's admitted students.

Admit rate
65.5%
SAT (mid 50%)
1020–1300
Avg GPA (est.)
3.28

Enter a test score to see where you land against Southern Adventist University's admitted students.

A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and Southern Adventist University's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.

About Collegedale, Tennessee

Collegedale is a city in Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States. Collegedale was founded as the site of Southern Adventist University (then Southern Junior College) in 1916. It was incorporated under a city manager government in 1968. J.M. Ackerman was the first city manager, and Fred Fuller served as the city's first mayor. In August 2011, the city took over control of the Collegedale Public Library, which was previously operated under the Hamilton County library system. Library membership is available on a paid subscription basis, free to residents of Collegedale. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Large suburb
Highest degree offered
Graduate
To the ocean
297 miles
Nearest airport
9 miles to Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport (Lovell Field) (CHA)

How Southern Adventist University compares

Selectivity65.5%

More selective than 70% · #14 most selective of 37 in Tennessee

SAT average1129

Higher than 40%

Graduation rate49%

Higher than 38% · #27 of 43 in Tennessee

First-year retention83%

Higher than 69%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$53,723

Higher than 49% · #14 of 43 in Tennessee

Average net price$24,345

Cheaper than 31% · #34 cheapest of 42 in Tennessee

Median debt at graduation$24,500

Lower than 41%

Student–faculty ratio19 : 1

Lower than 14%

Undergraduate enrollment2,773

Larger than 67%

Percentiles compare Southern Adventist University with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Tennessee.

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

3,073students
  • Undergraduate2,77390%
  • Graduate30010%

Undergraduates by gender

2,773undergrads
  • Women1,64459%
  • Men1,12941%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White37%
  • Black5.6%
  • Hispanic26%
  • Asian14%
  • Other or multiracial18%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
2,773
Graduate enrollment
300
Student–faculty ratio
19 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
31%
First-generation students
18%
Students over 25
7%
Median family income
$50,894
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$60,588
Endowment
$64,734,045

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

Where students come from

Home state of the 758 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Tennessee20%
  • Other U.S. states79%
  • International0.5%

A national draw — only 20% of first-years come from Tennessee; 79% arrive from other states.

1% came from outside the U.S. Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.

Admissions

Admission rate
65.5%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
1020–1300
SAT average
1129
SAT reading
530–660
SAT math
490–640
ACT composite
19–25
Average GPA (estimated)
3.28

Cost

In-state tuition
$27,300
Room & board
$8,900
Books & supplies
$1,100
Total cost of attendance
$38,618
Average net price
$24,345

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)
49%
Graduated on time (4 years)
35%
First-year retention
83%
Transferred to another college
5%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$44,818
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$53,723
Median debt at graduation
$24,500
Students with federal loans
42%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
58%

About 15% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
35%
Low-income (Pell)
35%
First-generation
33%

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
Yes
Dorm capacity
1,500
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
54%
Housing charge (year)
$5,140
Meal plan (year)
$3,720
Application fee
$25

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%.

Campus safety

Safety grade
B
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
0.6 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
4
Property offenses (2022–2024)
2

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (3,229 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.

Reported offenses in an average year

The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.

2.0reported offenses a year
1.3 violent a year0.7 property a year

By offense type, per year

Rape
0.7
Fondling
0.7
Burglary
0.3
Motor vehicle theft
0.3

Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.

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
$19,123
$30–48k
$20,421
$48–75k
$22,849
$75–110k
$26,679
$110k+
$30,751

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
$101,666

$22,849/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.

100%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$9,922
average award, among those who get one

A meaningful share of freshmen — 100% — get grant money from Southern Adventist University itself, averaging $9,922, which softens the sticker price.

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 619 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)
$53,723
Typical debt at graduation
$24,500
Debt vs. one year's pay
46%
Out-earn a HS grad
60%

Typical debt would take roughly 4.6 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Solid value

A reasonable return: earnings comfortably clear the debt over a few years for most students who finish.

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
$50,373
Men
$61,991

Men out-earn women by $11,618 (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
90°F
Winter low
32°F
Annual rain
55″
Annual snow
3.6″

Average temperature

HighLow
20°60°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.65.3JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Chattanooga Lovell AP, TN US station (8.5 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 Southern Adventist University

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Southern Adventist University side by side →

Colleges near Southern Adventist University

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.