Private nonprofit · University
Southern Virginia University
Buena Vista, Virginia · Distant town
- 96.4%
- Admit rate
- $22,213
- Avg net price
- 33%
- Graduation rate
- $50,002
- Median earnings
Southern Virginia University is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Buena Vista, Virginia (distant town setting), enrolling 936 undergraduates.
About Buena Vista, Virginia
Buena Vista, called "BV" by locals, is an independent city located in the Blue Ridge Mountains region of Virginia in the United States. The Buena Vista Downtown Historic District, Buena Vista Colored School, Cedar Hill, Glen Maury, Old Courthouse, Southern Seminary Main Building, and W.N. Seay House are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Landmarks and historic sites in Buena Vista include the 1890 Buena Vista Hotel (now Main Hall at SVU), original Buena Vista Courthouse (now A.B. Modine Memorial Library), Canton Chinese Restaurant and Glen Maury Park, particularly the two-story wooden pavilion which provides 360 degree views of the surrounding landscape. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Distant town
- Highest degree offered
- Bachelor's
- Nearest big city
- 46 miles to Roanoke, VA
- To the ocean
- 117 miles
- Nearest airport
- 30 miles to Lynchburg Regional Airport - Preston Glenn Field (LYH)
How Southern Virginia University compares
More selective than 10% · #38 most selective of 43 in Virginia
Higher than 15% · #44 of 49 in Virginia
Higher than 43%
Higher than 39% · #32 of 51 in Virginia
Cheaper than 40% · #24 cheapest of 47 in Virginia
Lower than 44%
Lower than 42%
Larger than 35%
Percentiles compare Southern Virginia University with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Virginia.
Student body
Undergraduates by gender
- Women47951%
- Men45749%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White73%
- Black6.8%
- Hispanic6.9%
- Asian1.0%
- Other or multiracial12%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 936
- Student–faculty ratio
- 14 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 45%
- First-generation students
- 17%
- Students over 25
- 6%
- Median family income
- $55,443
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $58,977
- Endowment
- $1,867,799
Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.
Admissions
- Admission rate
- 96.4%
- Test scores
- Not considered
- SAT range (25th–75th %)
- —
- SAT average
- —
- SAT reading
- —
- SAT math
- —
- ACT composite
- —
Cost
- In-state tuition
- $21,280
- Room & board
- $9,894
- Books & supplies
- $1,500
- Total cost of attendance
- $34,431
- Average net price
- $22,213
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)
- 33%
- Graduated on time (4 years)
- 19%
- First-year retention
- 74%
- Transferred to another college
- 24%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $36,988
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $50,002
- Median debt at graduation
- $24,224
- Students with federal loans
- 57%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 45%
About 14% 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)
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
- 623
- Dorm capacity vs undergrads
- 67%
- Housing charge (year)
- $4,570
- Meal plan (year)
- $5,450
- Application fee
- $35
- Athletics
- NCAA Division III with football
- Football conference
- USA South Athletic Conference
- Varsity athletes
- 775 (495 men · 280 women)
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%.
Varsity sports (15)
Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.
Campus safety
- Safety grade
- B
- Reported offenses per 1,000 students
- 1.4 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 4
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 0
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (936 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.
By offense type, per year
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.
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.
$20,630/year × about 4.6 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.
Modest institutional aid: 99% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $5,420. 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 294 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)
- $50,002
- Typical debt at graduation
- $24,224
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 48%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 44%
Typical debt would take roughly 4.8 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.
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.
Men out-earn women by $24,473 (68%) 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
- 87°F
- Winter low
- 23°F
- Annual rain
- 42.9″
- Annual snow
- 13.5″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Lexington, VA US station (5.4 mi from campus).
What Southern Virginia University graduates study — and earn
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 Virginia University
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Southern Virginia University side by side →
Hilbert College
Hamburg, New York · Large suburb · 10 mi to Buffalo
- Students
- 921
- Admission
- 97%
- Net price
- $23k
- SAT
- —
- GPA
- —
- Earnings
- $48k
Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary
Kansas City, Missouri · Large city · 6 mi to Kansas City
- Students
- 747
- Admission
- 96%
- Net price
- $23k
- SAT
- —
- GPA
- —
- Earnings
- $51k
Rochester Christian University
Rochester Hills, Michigan · Large suburb · 24 mi to Detroit
- Students
- 792
- Admission
- 98%
- Net price
- $21k
- SAT
- —
- GPA
- —
- Earnings
- $49k
Barton College
Wilson, North Carolina · Fringe town · 41 mi to Raleigh
- Students
- 982
- Admission
- 94%
- Net price
- $24k
- SAT
- —
- GPA
- —
- Earnings
- $48k
Piedmont University
Demorest, Georgia · Distant town · 68 mi to Greenville
- Students
- 1,117
- Admission
- 93%
- Net price
- $21k
- SAT
- 1129
- GPA
- 3.2
- Earnings
- $49k
Wilmington College
Wilmington, Ohio · Distant town · 29 mi to Dayton
- Students
- 1,006
- Admission
- 92%
- Net price
- $24k
- SAT
- 1029
- GPA
- 3.0
- Earnings
- $48k
Colleges near Southern Virginia University
Virginia Military Institute
Lexington, VA · Public · Bachelor's · 1,527 students
Washington and Lee University
Lexington, VA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,881 students
Sweet Briar College
Sweet Briar, VA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 443 students
Randolph College
Lynchburg, VA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 658 students
Centra College
Lynchburg, VA · Private nonprofit · Associate · 219 students
University of Lynchburg
Lynchburg, VA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,577 students
Virginia University of Lynchburg
Lynchburg, VA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 125 students
Mountain Gateway Community College
Clifton Forge, VA · Public · Certificate · 425 students
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.













