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Private nonprofit · 4-year

Southern Virginia University

Buena Vista, Virginia

20
F
DR Rating
DegreeReturn Rating — Poor value

A 0–100 composite of ROI, graduate earnings, net price, debt and graduation rate. How it’s scored.

Poor return
$-141,279 over 10 years

Estimated for a typical student paying the average net price over 4 years.

On these figures the cost and debt outweigh the earnings premium.

Never
Break-even
-145%
10-year ROI
$40,640
Median earnings as of 2024
60% of Southern Virginia University students earn more than a typical U.S. high-school graduate (about $28,000/yr) ten years after starting — measured from IRS tax records, not surveys.

The numbers behind the verdict

$22,213
Average net price / yr as of 2024
$40,640
Median earnings (5 yr) as of 2024
$22,024
Median earnings (1 yr) as of 2024
$24,224
Median debt at graduation as of 2024
34%
Graduation rate as of 2024
60%
Earn more than a HS grad as of 2024
64%
Repaying their loans (3 yr) as of 2024
74%
Retention rate as of 2024

Lifetime ROI: the long view

Cumulative net gain over a high-school-only earner at different career lengths, with tuition and debt interest already subtracted. Built on IRS-verified federal earnings — not self-reported surveys.

$-141,279
After 10 years
$-184,879
After 20 years
$-228,479
After 30 years
$-272,079
After 40 years

Conservative: holds year-5 earnings flat (no raises). Adjust the assumptions, or see the highest 20-year ROI colleges.

Equity & access

Who the college serves and whether the payoff reaches everyone — earnings ten years after starting (IRS-linked), with access measures from federal enrollment data.

By gender
Women
$35,873
Men
$60,346

41% gap between the two groups

By family-income background
From lower-income families
$50,974
From higher-income families
$54,311

6% gap between the two groups

By student status (FAFSA)
Dependent students
$46,532
Independent students
$68,771

32% gap between the two groups

17%
First-generation students
57%
Take federal student loans
92%
Born in the U.S.
Who studies here
White 73%Hispanic 7%Asian 1%Black 7%Other 13%

Undergraduate enrollment by race/ethnicity. Federal data does not report earnings by race.

Net price by family income

What students actually pay after grants and scholarships, by household income as of 2024.

Family incomeAverage net price / yr
Family income $0–$30k$18,957
$30k–$48k$19,501
$48k–$75k$20,630
$75k–$110k$23,407
$110k+$27,108

How Southern Virginia University compares

This college against the Virginia and national averages — higher earnings and lower cost/debt are better.

Graduate earnings over time

Median earnings of Southern Virginia University students 10 years after entering, by cohort year as of 2024.

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Best-paying majors at Southern Virginia University

Fields of study ranked by their own ROI — earnings five years after graduating against the cost and debt. Click a major for the deep dive.

MajorCredentialEarnings (5 yr)Median debt10-yr ROIVerdict
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesAssociate's$40,640$17,125-186%Poor return

Calculate your own ROI

Adjust the assumptions for your situation — the verdict, break-even and chart update live.

ROI at Southern Virginia University

Or pick your to set cost

Estimates from federal data; your result will vary. How this works.

10-yr net gain
Break-even
10-yr ROI

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Admissions & profile

96%
Admission rate
0
Average SAT
22
Median ACT
936
Undergraduates

Location

Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard. ROI is computed by Degree Return — see how. Read the methodology. Data as of 2024.

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