Southern Virginia University
Buena Vista, Virginia · Private Nonprofit · 96.4% acceptance rate
ROI Score: 26/100 · Below Benchmark
Data: 2024-25 College Scorecard release
Southern Virginia University, a small LDS (Mormon) liberal arts college in Buena Vista, scores 26 (Below Benchmark). The 0.81 debt-to-earnings ratio and 15.3-year payback are both meaningful drags. Completion is a thin 33.5% and reflects the school's open-access mission combined with limited resources. Repayment rate of 63.8% is mediocre. With 45.2% Pell rate and 936 students, the campus is small and mostly low-to-middle-income. As of 2024-2025 Scorecard data, this is a values-driven choice for LDS families that doesn't justify itself on financial grounds alone.
How Southern Virginia University 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 Score26/100 - Below Benchmark tier of our scale (below 45). For context, 38% of the schools we score reach 60 or higher.
- 6-year graduation rate33.5% - The national average for four-year schools is 64% (NCES, 2022). Completion is 15% of our score, since a degree that is not finished rarely pays back.
- Payback period15.3 years - The median payback across the schools we score is about 12 years.
Southern Virginia University
Quick Numbers
| In-state tuition + fees | $21,280/yr |
| Out-of-state tuition + fees | $21,280/yr |
| Average net price | $22,213/yr |
| Total 4-year cost (net) | $88,852 |
| Median earnings (10yr post-entry) | $50,002 |
| Average earnings (6yr post-entry) | $29,900 |
| Median debt at graduation | $24,224 |
| Estimated monthly loan payment | $257 |
| Estimated payback period | 15.3 years |
| 6-year graduation rate | 33.5% |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 936 |
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: $21,280/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 $22,213/year, or roughly $88,852 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 $18,957/year here, while families earning over $110,000 pay $27,108/year.
Among graduates who borrowed, the median federal loan debt from this school is $24,224, which works out to about $257 a month on the standard 10-year repayment plan. Our debt-to-earnings ratio divides that debt by average earnings six years after entry ($29,900) and comes to 0.81, 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 | $18,957 |
| $30,001 - $48,000 | $19,501 |
| $48,001 - $75,000 | $20,630 |
| $75,001 - $110,000 | $23,407 |
| $110,001+ | $27,108 |
Cost by Income Bracket Explained
Lower-income families (under $30K)
Families earning under $30K pay $18,957 net per year, and the $30K-$48K band pays $19,501. Pell helps modestly. Total four-year cost approaches $76K-$78K against $50K median earnings ten years out. The math works only for the small share of graduates who land business management roles; most other paths struggle.
Middle-income families ($30K-$110K)
The $48K-$75K band pays $20,630 and the $75K-$110K band climbs to $23,407. Middle-income families face $82K-$94K in four-year out-of-pocket cost. The numbers strain against $50K median earnings even for the school's strongest business graduates.
Higher-income families ($110K+)
Families above $110K pay $27,108 net per year, totaling roughly $108K over four years.
Earnings by Major
Top 4 most popular majors at Southern Virginia University with available earnings data.
| Major | Median Earnings | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Business Administration and Management | $56,726 | - |
| Psychology | $36,808 | - |
| English Language and Literature | $33,115 | - |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences | $40,419 | D |
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.
Business Administration and Management
Business Admin is SVU's largest program with 44 graduates and reported four-year earnings of $56,726. Debt and D/E data aren't broken out at the program level, but applying school-level debt of $24,224 implies a roughly 0.43 D/E - reasonable for business if those earnings hold. The relatively strong outcome makes this the school's most defensible value path.
Psychology
Psychology produces 42 graduates with four-year earnings of $36,808. At school-level debt of $24,224, that implies a roughly 0.66 D/E ratio - weak for an LDS-context expense and consistent with the broader bachelor's-only psychology problem. Students need a clear graduate plan or LDS service mission framing to make this work.
Liberal Arts and Sciences
Liberal Arts produces 14 graduates with $22,024 first-year earnings, $18,500 debt, and a 0.84 D/E ratio (D grade). Strong religious vocation or graduate-school plans are essential to make sense of this path.
English Language and Literature
English enrolls 14 graduates with reported four-year earnings of $33,115. With school-level debt of $24,224, the implied D/E ratio of 0.73 is weak. English at SVU is a deeply liberal-arts choice that demands a clear professional pathway (teaching, law school, etc.) to be financially defensible.
How Graduates Do
Earnings
Loan Repayment
| Metric | This School | Median of schools we score |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year repayment | 63.9% | 68.8% |
| 3-year repayment | 63.7% | 73.6% |
| 5-year repayment | 61.9% | 67.7% |
| 7-year repayment | 70.0% | 72.8% |
Completion Rate
Trends Over Time
How Southern Virginia University’s cost and outcomes have moved across College Scorecard releases (2009-2024).
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
| Acceptance rate | 96.4% |
| Enrollment | 936 |
| Pell Grant recipients | 45.2% |
| Avg faculty salary (monthly) | $6,553 |
SVU admits 96.4% of applicants - effectively open access. This is the single most important data point in evaluating the school.
Compared to Similar Schools
Peer institutions matched by type, size, and selectivity.
| School | ROI | Net Price | 10yr Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southern Virginia University (this school) | 26 | $22,213 | $50,002 |
| Averett University | 37 | $22,925 | $51,516 |
| Bluefield University | 32 | $25,573 | $48,896 |
| Greenville University | 29 | $19,533 | $46,827 |
| Be'er Yaakov Talmudic Seminary | 25 | $4,543 | $17,360 |
| Shorter University | 24 | $16,646 | $44,604 |
Who Thrives Here
With 45.2% Pell rate and 936 students, the school is small and low-to-middle income. The values-driven LDS community is the core fit. Strong fit only for committed Mormon students; weak fit for anyone optimizing for earnings, graduate-school placement, or large-scale professional opportunity. Students should understand the financial math implies this is a values purchase, not a career investment.
The Verdict: Below Benchmark Under Our Scoring
Under our methodology, Southern Virginia University scores 26/100, which falls in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At a net price of $22,213 per year, with typical graduate earnings of $50,002 ten years after entry, we estimate the payback period at about 15.3 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 33.5% graduation rate, a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.81 (median across the schools we score: 0.61), a three-year loan repayment rate of 63.7% (median across the schools we score: 73.6%), a long payback period.
Median debt of $24,224 among graduates who borrowed, against average earnings of $29,900 six years after entry, gives a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.81. 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.
Southern Virginia University: Common Questions
Is Southern Virginia University worth it?
In our view, the financial case is a hard one to make on the numbers alone. Southern Virginia University scores 26/100 on our ROI scale, in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At $22,213 a year after aid against $50,002 in typical earnings ten years out, we estimate the payback period at about 15.3 years. Your major and aid package can change the picture, so run your own numbers.
How much does Southern Virginia University 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 $22,213 a year, or roughly $88,852 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 Southern Virginia University graduates earn?
The typical graduate earns about $50,002 ten years after enrolling, roughly $8,202 a year more than the median high-school graduate ($41,800, per NCES, 2022). That earnings gap is what has to cover the cost of the degree.
How long does it take to pay off Southern Virginia University?
We estimate the payback period - the time it takes for the earnings bump over a high-school graduate to cover what you spent - at about 15.3 years for Southern Virginia University. The median across the schools we track is about 12 years.
How much debt do Southern Virginia University graduates take on?
Among graduates who borrowed, median federal loan debt from this school is about $24,224, against average earnings of $29,900 six years after entry - a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.81. 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 Southern Virginia University?
The six-year graduation rate is 33.5%. 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.