South University-Richmond
Glen Allen, Virginia · Private For-Profit
ROI Score: 11/100 · Below Benchmark
Data: 2024-25 College Scorecard release
South University-Richmond, the Virginia branch of the South University for-profit chain, scores 11 (Below Benchmark). The story mirrors the broader chain: $18,145 tuition, $30,442 net price (67% higher than sticker, indicating fees and aid limitations), $26,123 median debt, and ten-year median earnings of $34,421 - barely above high-school-only worker pay. The earnings premium is effectively zero (-0.5%), and the 999-year payback period confirms earnings never recoup cost on any reasonable horizon. This branch has 232 students enrolled.
How South University-Richmond scores under our methodology
These are the College Scorecard measures that pull this school's CampusROI score down. They describe the published figures, not the quality of the education, and they are our reading of the data. Check them against your own aid offer and intended major.
- ROI Score11/100 - Below Benchmark tier of our scale (below 45). For context, 38% of the schools we score reach 60 or higher.
- Payback period>50 years - In our estimate, the earnings premium over a high school completer is small next to the cost, so the cost may not be recouped within a working career.
South University-Richmond
Quick Numbers
| In-state tuition + fees | $18,145/yr |
| Out-of-state tuition + fees | $18,145/yr |
| Average net price | $30,442/yr |
| Total 4-year cost (net) | $121,768 |
| Median earnings (10yr post-entry) | $34,421 |
| Average 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 | 42.1% |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 232 |
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, which covers tuition and fees only. The net price counts books, supplies, and average living costs on top of tuition and fees, then subtracts grants and scholarships. For the average student here it comes to $30,442/year, or roughly $121,768 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 $29,903/year here, while families earning over $110,000 pay $33,277/year.
Among graduates who borrowed, the median federal loan debt from this school is $26,123, which works out to about $277 a month on the standard 10-year repayment plan. Our debt-to-earnings ratio divides that debt by average earnings six years after entry ($32,500) and comes to 0.80, under 1.0, meaning median debt is less than a full year of those earnings.
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 | $29,903 |
| $30,001 - $48,000 | $31,379 |
| $48,001 - $75,000 | N/A |
| $75,001 - $110,000 | N/A |
| $110,001+ | $33,277 |
Cost by Income Bracket Explained
Lower-income families (under $30K)
Families earning under $30K pay $29,903 net per year, and the $30K-$48K band actually pays MORE at $31,379 - an inverted bracket showing how need-based aid effectively vanishes. Low-income Virginians taking on $120K+ in four-year cost against $34K median earnings face structural financial harm.
Middle-income families ($30K-$110K)
Net-price data for the $48K-$75K and $75K-$110K bands is not reported, suggesting either insufficient enrollment in those brackets to publish or institutional withholding. The pattern at neighboring brackets implies similar high costs.
Higher-income families ($110K+)
Families above $110K pay $33,277 net per year - the highest reported bracket. Four-year cost approaches $133K. Net price and earnings figures are shown for every income tier. Completion has swung widely in recent years at this 232-student campus, so check the current figures.
Earnings by Major
Top 8 most popular majors at South University-Richmond with available earnings data.
| Major | Median Earnings | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Registered Nursing | $91,363 | C+ |
| Psychology | $39,694 | F |
| Business Administration, Management, and Operations | $53,445 | F |
| Public Health | $45,993 | F |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections | $46,322 | F |
| Information Science | $58,915 | F |
| Health and Medical Administrative Services | $46,885 | F |
| Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General | $47,390 | 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
Nursing is the only major with meaningful enrollment (26 graduates) and the only path with genuine post-graduation earnings: $77,635 first-year, $41,815 debt, 0.539 D/E ratio (C+ grade).
Psychology
Psychology enrolls 3 graduates with $28,684 first-year earnings against $54,702 debt - a 1.907 D/E ratio (F grade). Chain-wide pattern: graduates owe nearly two dollars for every dollar of annual income.
Public Health
Public Health enrolls 2 graduates with $34,789 first-year earnings against $56,262 debt - a 1.617 D/E ratio (F grade). Tiny cohort but consistent with chain-wide outcomes: a high debt-to-earnings ratio.
Business Administration, Management, and Operations
Business Admin produces 2 graduates with $43,773 first-year earnings against $55,162 debt - a 1.26 D/E ratio (F grade).
Criminal Justice and Corrections
Criminal Justice enrolls 1 graduate with $37,713 first-year earnings against $55,652 debt - a 1.476 D/E ratio (F grade). Sample size of 1 is statistically thin, but consistent with chain-wide outcomes: the credential simply doesn't price-match law-enforcement-level starting salaries.
How Graduates Do
Earnings
Loan Repayment
| Metric | This School | Median of schools we score |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year repayment | 38.7% | 68.8% |
| 3-year repayment | 45.3% | 73.6% |
| 5-year repayment | 27.4% | 67.7% |
| 7-year repayment | 33.9% | 72.8% |
Completion Rate
Trends Over Time
How South University-Richmond’s cost and outcomes have moved across College Scorecard releases (2010-2024).
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 | 232 |
| Pell Grant recipients | 39.1% |
| Avg faculty salary (monthly) | $7,481 |
Admission rate is not reported in current Scorecard data. SAT and ACT mid-ranges are not reported either. The 42.1% completion rate is the only data point that distinguishes Richmond from worse-performing chain branches, though it still means nearly six in ten enrollees do not graduate.
Compared to Similar Schools
Peer institutions matched by type, size, and selectivity.
| School | ROI | Net Price | 10yr Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| South University-Richmond (this school) | 11 | $30,442 | $34,421 |
| Strayer University-Virginia | 11 | $19,578 | $40,092 |
| Strayer University-Tennessee | 11 | $11,645 | $40,092 |
| Colorado Technical University-Colorado Springs | 9 | $16,745 | $37,180 |
| Strayer University-Georgia | 9 | $18,318 | $40,092 |
| Strayer University-South Carolina | 9 | $17,979 | $40,092 |
Head-to-Head ROI Comparisons
See South University-Richmond side by side with similar schools on ROI, cost, earnings, and debt.
Who Thrives Here
South University-Richmond has 232 students and a 39.1% Pell rate.
The Verdict: Below Benchmark Under Our Scoring
Under our methodology, South University-Richmond scores 11/100, which falls in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At a net price of $30,442 per year, with typical graduate earnings of $34,421 ten years after entry, we estimate the payback period at more than 50 years. In our view that makes the financial case a hard one to make on the numbers alone, but those numbers are averages: your major, your aid package and what you want from a degree all change the picture, so run your own numbers before you commit.
What to keep an eye on: weak earnings relative to cost, its 42.1% graduation rate, a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.80 (median across the schools we score: 0.61), a three-year loan repayment rate of 45.3% (median across the schools we score: 73.6%), a long payback period.
Median debt of $26,123 among graduates who borrowed, against average earnings of $32,500 six years after entry, gives a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.80. That is under 1.0 (a full year of those earnings); the median across the schools we score is about 0.61. Your major - and how much you borrow - really matters.
South University-Richmond: Common Questions
Is South University-Richmond worth it?
In our view, the financial case is a hard one to make on the numbers alone. South University-Richmond scores 11/100 on our ROI scale, in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At $30,442 a year after aid against $34,421 in typical earnings ten years out, we estimate the payback period at more than 50 years. Your major and aid package can change the picture, so run your own numbers.
How much does South University-Richmond cost after financial aid?
The average net price - the cost of attendance (tuition, fees, books, supplies and average living costs) minus grants and scholarships, for full-time, first-time students receiving federal aid - is about $30,442 a year, or roughly $121,768 over four years. Because it counts living costs, it can run above tuition alone. That is the number to plan around. Actual cost varies by family income, per the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard.
What do South University-Richmond graduates earn?
The typical graduate earns about $34,421 ten years after enrolling, at or below the $41,800 median for high-school graduates (NCES, 2022). With little earnings gap to cover the cost, the financial return is hard to make.
How long does it take to pay off South University-Richmond?
We estimate the payback period - the time it takes for the earnings bump over a high-school graduate to cover what you spent - at more than 50 years for South University-Richmond. The median across the schools we track is about 12 years.
How much debt do South University-Richmond graduates take on?
Among graduates who borrowed, median federal loan debt from this school is about $26,123, against average earnings of $32,500 six years after entry - a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.80. That is under 1.0 (a full year of those earnings); the median across the schools we score is about 0.61. How much you borrow really matters.
What is the graduation rate at South University-Richmond?
The six-year graduation rate is 42.1%. The national average for four-year schools is 64% (NCES, 2022). Completion is 15% of our ROI score, since a degree you don't finish rarely pays back.
NewsletterCollege decisions are better with data.
From CampusROI, when there is something worth acting on.
Rankings & Links
Guides & Tools
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.