South University-Austin
Round Rock, Texas · Private For-Profit
ROI Score: 7/100 · Poor Value
Data: 2024-25 College Scorecard release
South University-Austin posts a 7 ROI score - matching its Savannah Online sibling at the bottom of the dataset. This is a small for-profit Texas campus (211 students total in Round Rock) and the financial picture is severe. Tuition is $18,145 but net price is $25,680 - a $7,535 net-price-over-tuition gap signaling heavy fees and indirect costs. Four-year total runs $102,720. The most alarming metric: completion rate is reported as ZERO percent. Either no entering students have yet completed the four-year program (suggesting a new campus or one mostly transferring students from elsewhere) or the school is structurally failing to graduate its enrolled students. Either way, this is a major red flag. Ten-year median earnings of $34,421 produce a NEGATIVE 0.6 percent earnings premium. Median debt of $26,123 against this stalled income yields a 0.804 ratio. Payback is 999 years. Repayment metrics are devastating: 27.4 percent at five years, drifting up only to 33.9 percent at seven. Pell rate is 59.3 percent. This is the same predatory structure as the Savannah Online campus, scaled down to 211 students in the Austin area.
The data raises concerns about South University-Austin
These metrics fall below the thresholds most financial advisors recommend for a sound college investment. Review them carefully before committing.
- ROI Score7/100 - Poor Value tier (below 45). Most 4-year schools we track score 60 or higher.
- 6-year graduation rate0.0% - Well below the 60% national average. Non-completion is the fastest route to negative ROI.
- Payback period>50 years - Graduates earn at or near the level of high school completers - the cost may not recoup within a working career.
South University-Austin
Quick Numbers
| In-state tuition + fees | $18,145/yr |
| Out-of-state tuition + fees | $18,145/yr |
| Average net price | $25,680/yr |
| Total 4-year cost (net) | $102,720 |
| Median earnings (10yr post-entry) | $34,421 |
| Median earnings (6yr post-entry) | $32,500 |
| Median debt at graduation | $26,123 |
| Estimated monthly loan payment | $277 |
| Estimated payback period | >50 years |
| 6-year graduation rate | 0.0% |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 211 |
Data as of 2024-2025. Source: College Scorecard API (U.S. Department of Education).
The Full Financial Picture
The first number you'll see is the sticker price: $18,145/year. Here's the part that matters - almost nobody pays that. After grants, scholarships, and aid, the average student here pays a net price of $25,680/year, or roughly $102,720 over four years. That's the number to plan around.
What you actually pay depends a lot on what your family earns. Families making under $30,000/year pay an average of $25,420/year here, while families earning over $110,000 pay N/A/year.
Most students borrow to get here. The median graduate leaves owing $26,123 in federal loans, which works out to about $277 a month on the standard 10-year repayment plan. Hold that up against the $34,421 the typical graduate earns ten years out: the debt-to-earnings ratio comes to 0.80, within the range advisors call workable but worth keeping an eye on.
Net Price by Family Income
What families actually pay after grants and scholarships, by income bracket.
| Family Income | Avg Net Price/Year |
|---|---|
| $0 - $30,000 | $25,420 |
| $30,001 - $48,000 | $25,441 |
| $48,001 - $75,000 | $27,004 |
| $75,001 - $110,000 | $27,670 |
| $110,001+ | N/A |
Cost by Income Bracket Explained
Lower-income families (under $30K)
Families under $30,000 pay $25,420 per year net, about $101,700 over four years. Pell ($7,395 max) covers a fraction of this; the remainder requires federal Direct loans and Parent PLUS or private borrowing. With 0 percent completion and negative earnings premium, this borrowing pattern is the canonical predatory dynamic regulators flag.
Middle-income families ($30K-$110K)
Households at $48,001 to $75,000 pay $27,004 per year - basically the same as low-income pricing. Institutional aid does not meaningfully discount based on income. Middle-income families face the same $108K four-year burden with the same outcomes.
Higher-income families ($110K+)
The $110,001-plus bracket is not reported, indicating effectively no affluent enrollment - consistent with the school's predatory targeting of lower-income working adults. Higher income families have far better options in the Austin metro (UT-Austin, Texas State, ACC) at fraction of the cost.
Earnings by Major
Top 7 most popular majors at South University-Austin with available earnings data.
| Major | Median Earnings | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Registered Nursing | $91,363 | C+ |
| Public Health | $45,993 | F |
| Information Science | $58,915 | F |
| Health and Medical Administrative Services | $46,885 | F |
| Psychology | $39,694 | F |
| Business Administration, Management, and Operations | $53,445 | F |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections | $46,322 | F |
Earnings reflect median 4-year post-completion (or 1-year where 4-year unavailable). Grades based on debt-to-earnings ratio.
Program Analysis
Why these programs deliver their earnings outcomes.
Registered Nursing
Registered Nursing reports 44 graduates with one-year earnings of $77,635 climbing to $91,363 by year four. Median debt is $41,815, yielding a 0.539 ratio and C+ grade. The earnings numbers are clearly the system-wide South University figures (matching the Savannah Online program identically), suggesting the nursing pathway is shared across campuses. These almost certainly reflect existing RNs completing online RN-to-BSN bridges, not entry-level BSN production from this 211-student Texas campus.
Public Health
Public Health produces 4 graduates with one-year earnings of $34,789 and four-year of $45,993, against $56,262 debt - 1.617 ratio and F grade. Borrowers owe well more than they earn annually. Online public health BAs are notoriously oversupplied relative to entry-level public-health hiring; the program leads to weak labor-market outcomes at huge debt cost.
Information Science
Information Science produces 2 graduates with one-year earnings of $44,682 and four-year of $58,915, against $52,173 debt - a 1.168 ratio and F grade. Tiny cohort suggests this program is either new or essentially nonfunctional. Outcomes mirror the system-wide for-profit pattern: heavy borrowing for modest IT-adjacent credentials when state-system and online options (Texas State Online, UT Online, WGU) deliver better outcomes at half the price.
How Graduates Do
Earnings
Loan Repayment
| Metric | This School | Nat'l Avg |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year repayment | 38.7% | 52.0% |
| 3-year repayment | 45.3% | 62.0% |
| 5-year repayment | 27.4% | 68.0% |
| 7-year repayment | 33.9% | 72.0% |
Completion Rate
Trends Over Time
How South University-Austin’s cost and outcomes have moved across College Scorecard releases (2012-2023).
Average Net Price
Completion Rate
Median Earnings, 10 Years After Entry (as reported)
Earnings reflect borrowers measured 10 years after entry and publish on an irregular cadence with a multi-year reporting lag, so this series shows only the years the Department of Education reported - the data is never interpolated.
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, release years shown. Net price and completion are reported annually.
Admissions Snapshot
| Enrollment | 211 |
| Pell Grant recipients | 59.3% |
| Avg faculty salary (monthly) | $8,124 |
Admission rate is not reported in current Scorecard data. No SAT or ACT mid-ranges are reported. As a small for-profit campus, South University-Austin appears effectively open-enrollment. The reported 0 percent completion rate is the single most concerning datapoint on the entire profile - if accurate, it means the institution is enrolling students and collecting tuition (largely federal aid) without producing any degree completions.
Compared to Similar Schools
Peer institutions matched by type, size, and selectivity.
Peer set is mission-accurate: Wade College, American InterContinental University-Houston, Eagle Gate College-Layton, South University-Virginia Beach (sibling campus), and Nossi College of Art and Design are all small for-profit campuses with similar dynamics. ROI scores across this peer group are uniformly in the single digits or low teens, reflecting the structural challenges of the small for-profit sector. None of these are credible value plays; the comparison set is really a regulatory peer group, not an educational one.
| School | ROI | Net Price | 10yr Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| South University-Austin (this school) | 7 | $25,680 | $34,421 |
| South University-Montgomery | 7 | $27,807 | $34,421 |
| National American University-Rapid City | 7 | $31,062 | $37,325 |
| American InterContinental University-Atlanta | 7 | $16,482 | $36,144 |
| South University-Virginia Beach | 7 | $27,843 | $34,421 |
| South University-Savannah Online | 7 | $28,049 | $34,421 |
Who Thrives Here
South University-Austin targets Austin-metro adult learners pursuing online-supported credentials in healthcare administration, nursing, and business. Enrollment of just 211 reflects either a startup campus or one in decline. The 59.3 percent Pell rate signals heavily low-income enrollment. With a 0 percent completion rate, no rational student profile fits this institution - prospective students should look at Austin Community College (50 percent of cost, real completion rates), Texas State University, or UT-Austin pathways through ACC transfer.
The Verdict: The Numbers Don't Add Up
We'll be straight with you: the numbers at South University-Austin are a real concern. With a net cost of $25,680 per year and the typical graduate earning only $34,421 ten years out, the estimated payback period exceeds >50 years. For most students, the financial return does not justify the cost - go in with your eyes open.
What to keep an eye on: weak earnings relative to cost, its 0.0% graduation rate, high debt relative to what graduates earn, concerning loan repayment rates, a long payback period.
Be careful with the debt here. A median $26,123 owed against $34,421 in earnings is heavy, and the debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.76 is past the level advisors flag. Your major - and how much you borrow - really matters.
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Data: College Scorecard API (U.S. Department of Education)
Vintage: 2024-2025 · Last updated: 2026-03-25
Earnings reflect median outcomes for all federal financial aid recipients. Individual results vary by major, effort, and career path.