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.

Private nonprofitSmall · 936 undergradsDistant townAccessible · 96% admitNCAA Division III with football · USA South Athletic ConferenceCold winters

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

Selectivity96.4%

More selective than 10% · #38 most selective of 43 in Virginia

Graduation rate33%

Higher than 15% · #44 of 49 in Virginia

First-year retention74%

Higher than 43%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$50,002

Higher than 39% · #32 of 51 in Virginia

Average net price$22,213

Cheaper than 40% · #24 cheapest of 47 in Virginia

Median debt at graduation$24,224

Lower than 44%

Student–faculty ratio14 : 1

Lower than 42%

Undergraduate enrollment936

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

936undergrads
  • 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)

All students
19%
Low-income (Pell)
38%
First-generation
24%

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)

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)160
Football115
Other Sports102
Soccer60
Lacrosse57
Wrestling40
Volleyball39
Basketball38
Baseball35
Golf33
Swimming27
Softball23
Tennis20
Beach Volleyball15
Field Hockey11

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.

1.3reported offenses a year
1.3 violent a year0 property a year

By offense type, per year

Fondling
1.0
Rape
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
$18,957
$30–48k
$19,501
$48–75k
$20,630
$75–110k
$23,407
$110k+
$27,108

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
$95,889

$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.

99%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$5,420
average award, among those who get one

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.

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
$35,873
Men
$60,346

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

HighLow
10°60°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.44.8JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Lexington, VA US station (5.4 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 Virginia University

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

Colleges near Southern Virginia 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.