Southern Adventist University
Collegedale, Tennessee · Private · 2,773 undergraduates · southern.edu
Test policy (fall 2027)
Test optional
Sending scores is your choice
Admit rate
66%
of applicants
SAT (middle 50%)
1020 to 1300
of enrolled freshmen
Annual cost (2027-28)
$47,580Est.Estimate
before aid
Your chances and merit aid at Southern Adventist University
See where you stand for admission, how much merit aid you could get, and what you'd pay after it.
We started you at a typical enrolled freshman here. Move the sliders to match you.
Your admission chances
66% of applicants admitted
Target
Your SAT is inside the range where the middle half of enrolled freshmen scored.
Estimated merit aid
a year
Your cost after merit aid
$45,580
a year in 2027-28, from a $47,580 sticker price
What to do with your 1160
Send your score
About 7% of freshmen here didn't send a score. We estimate their typical SAT at about 960, and yours is above it.
Source: College Navigator (federal data on fall 2024 freshmen)
Named scholarships you may qualify for (3)
National Merit Finalist Scholarship
Full tuition
You meet the GPA and score minimums. Also needs National Merit Finalist standing.
National Recognition Program Scholarship
50% tuition for four years; awarded in place of the Renewable Academic Scholarship
You meet the GPA and score minimums. Also needs other requirements.
1 more award needs a higher GPA or score. See every tier
Reach, target and likely are a rough guide from your test score and how selective the college is. Admissions also weigh your courses, grades, essays and activities. Merit aid figures are estimates, before any need-based aid.
Admissions
Test policy for fall 2027
Test optional
You choose whether to send an SAT or ACT score. If you send one, it's considered.
- If your GPA is below 2.8, you must send a score.
- Superscores: it combines your best section scores from different test dates.
- Reviews applications as they arrive, so applying early helps.
- GED/HiSET pathways; homeschool applicants exempt with 2.75 GPA plus 6+ dual-enrollment credits at 3.0
Source: Admission Requirements | Southern Adventist University · Checked October 17, 2026
Application deadlines
- Mar1Priority deadline · March 1, 2027Apply by this date for the best chance at admission and scholarships.
Who gets in
66%
of applicants are admitted.
Test scores of enrolled freshmen
The shaded part shows the middle half of enrolled freshmen who sent scores: a quarter scored below it and a quarter above.
SAT total 1020 to 1300
Reading and Writing 530 to 660
Math 490 to 640
ACT composite 19 to 25
Cost and financial aid
The sticker price is what a year costs before any aid. Most students pay less after grants and scholarships.
Sticker price for 2027-28Estimate
$47,580
a year
- Tuition$30,710
What families actually pay
What a year cost on average after grants and scholarships, for freshmen who got federal aid in 2023-24, by family income.
- $0 to $30,000$21,055
- $30,001 to $48,000$21,021
- $48,001 to $75,000$22,466
- $75,001 to $110,000$29,082
- Over $110,000$32,904
Financial aidEstimate
68%
of a student's financial need is covered, on average
99%
of freshmen receive grants
$12,904
average grant to freshmen
Merit scholarships
Awards for grades and scores, on top of need-based aid. You don't repay them.
Renewable Southern Union Scholarship
$2,000 a year
Automatic · Out-of-state students · No separate application
- 21+ ACT, 21 ACT
- 1060+ SAT, 1060 SAT
- 3.00+ GPA, 3.0 high school GPA
To keep it: a 2.0 college GPA, and stay a full-time student.
DetailsRenewable Full Tuition Scholarship
Full tuition
Automatic · No separate application
- 1490+ SAT or 34+ ACT, Single test date composite (not superscored)
Deadline: Document submission deadline April 1. To keep it: a 2.0 college GPA, and stay a full-time student; it renews at 100% of the award each year.
DetailsNational Merit Finalist Scholarship
Full tuition
National Merit · No separate application
- National Merit Finalist
To keep it: a 2.0 college GPA or higher.
DetailsNational Recognition Program Scholarship
50% tuition for four years; awarded in place of the Renewable Academic Scholarship
National Merit · No separate application
- National Hispanic, African American, Indigenous, or Rural and Small Town Recognition Program awardee
To keep it: a 2.0 college GPA or higher.
Details
Tennessee programs for residents
Ned McWherter Scholars Program
$6,000 a year
State program · In-state students
- 3.75+ GPA, 1430+ SAT or 32+ ACT, Competitive merit award; application with transcript through first semester of senior year and official ACT/SAT; competitive, limited funding
Aspire Award
State program · In-state students
Up to $750/semester (4-year) or up to $250/semester (2-year) in addition to HOPE
- 3.00+ GPA, 1060+ SAT or 21+ ACT, Need-based HOPE supplement; meet HOPE requirements and parents' (or independent student's and spouse's) AGI of $36,000 or less
General Assembly Merit Scholarship (GAMS)
State program · In-state students
Up to $500/semester in addition to HOPE (including summer)
- 3.75+ GPA, 1330+ SAT or 29+ ACT, HOPE supplement (TN public or category 1-3 private HS graduates); must meet HOPE Scholarship requirements; FAFSA, from Tennessee
Tennessee HOPE Scholarship
State program · In-state students
4-year (and 2-year with housing): up to $2,250/semester freshman & sophomore, up to $2,850/semester junior & senior; 2-year: up to $1,600/semester
- 3.00+ GPA, 1060+ SAT or 21+ ACT, HOPE Scholarship (entering freshmen); enroll within 16 months of HS graduation; FAFSA
Compare awards across colleges with the merit aid calculator.
AP credit
AP exams that earn credit can replace college courses, so you pay for fewer of them and may graduate sooner.
AP exams that earn credit
7 of 21
Earn credit with a score of 3
2 exams
A 3-credit course is worth
about $3,070Est.Estimate
at 2027-28 tuition
Credit for each AP exam
| Exam | Score needed | Credits | Counts as |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art History | 3 | ||
| Biology | 5 | BIOL 152 | |
| Calculus AB | 3 | ||
| Calculus BC | 3 | ||
| Chemistry | 4 | CHEM 119 | |
| Chemistry | 5 | CHEM 151, 152 | |
| Computer Science A | 3 | ||
| English Language and Composition | 3 | ENGL 101 | |
| English Literature and Composition | 3 | ENGL 101 | |
| European History | 4 | ||
| French Language and Culture | 3 | ||
| German Language and Culture | 3 | ||
| Macroeconomics | 3 | ||
| Microeconomics | 3 | ||
| Music Theory | 3 | ||
| Physics 1 | 3 | ||
| Physics 2 | 3 | ||
| Psychology | 3 | ||
| Spanish Language and Culture | 3 | ||
| Statistics | 3 | ||
| United States History | 4 | ||
| World History: Modern | 4 |
Source: AP credit policy
After college
Graduate within 6 years
56%
Come back for a second year
83%
Typical earnings
$58,780
a year, 10 years after starting here
- Southern Adventist University$78,347
- All colleges$90,887
Median yearly earnings of graduates five years after finishing a bachelor's in this major. 5 majors here have earnings data.
Keep exploring
Figures marked Estimate are our estimates, not numbers the college published. Check each college's own site before you apply. SAT is a trademark of College Board, and ACT is a trademark of ACT, Inc. Sharp is not affiliated with either, or with Southern Adventist University. The Southern Adventist University logo is a trademark of the college.