Southern Adventist University

Private · Moderately Selective · TN

Photo: Harrison Keely (CC BY 4.0)

School data & stats

TypePrivate

LocationTN · South

SettingSuburban

Undergrads2,773

Student:faculty19:1

Outcomes

4-yr grad rate34.6%

6-yr grad rate49.4%

Drop-out rate17.2%

Study abroad—

Cost

In-state tuition$27k

Out-of-state tuition$27k

Application fee—

Community

Racial diversity63.4%

Gender diversity54%

International7.7%

IdentitySeventh Day Adventists

Overview

Southern Adventist University sits in Collegedale, Tennessee, just outside Chattanooga, and is one of the larger Seventh-day Adventist universities in the country. Its identity is inseparable from Adventist religious practice — Sabbath observance from Friday sundown to Saturday sundown shapes the entire weekly calendar, including class scheduling and campus events. Nursing is by far the largest program, reflecting the Adventist church's historic emphasis on health ministry, alongside religion, business, and health sciences more broadly.

Academics

Nursing and other health science programs are the academic core, consistent with the Adventist church's long institutional investment in health education and hospital systems. Religion and theology programs train students headed toward ministry and missions work within the denomination. An aviation program is a somewhat unusual offering for a school this size. Class sizes stay small, and a service and missions orientation runs through coursework well beyond the religion department.

Campus & student life

Sabbath observance is not a background detail but a lived weekly rhythm — Friday evening through Saturday evening is set aside from ordinary academic and social activity. Dining follows Adventist vegetarian dietary practice campus-wide. Missions trips and service projects are a genuine, widely participated-in part of student life rather than a niche club activity, reflecting the denomination's global missionary tradition.

Worth knowing

Students should go in expecting Adventist practice to be a real, structured part of daily and weekly life, not a nominal affiliation — Sabbath observance and vegetarian dining apply campus-wide, not just to students who personally practice the faith. It suits students genuinely seeking an immersive Adventist community more than those wanting a Christian label on an otherwise conventional college experience.

southern.edu ↗

Admissions

Acceptance rate65.5%

Enrolled mid-50%SAT 1020–1300 · ACT 19–25

Test policyoptional

Rec letters0

Deadlines (2026–27 cycle)

AdmissionRolling

Applying