Southern Adventist University is a private, coed institution of the Seventh-day Adventist faith in In Collegedale, Tennessee. The Southern Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists is its founder and president. The first Adventist school in the southern United States was established in 1892 as Graysville Academy in Graysville, Tennessee. The institution moved in 1916 and changed its name to Southern Junior College because it needed more space for growth. Southern was renamed Southern Missionary College when it started conferring baccalaureate degrees in 1944. The University began awarding master's degrees in 1996 and changed its name to its present form.
Southern Adventist University courses are recognized as having earned accreditation from several bodies, including the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. Only two universities, including Southern, offer a bachelor's degree in biblical archaeology through its Institute of Archaeology. The most devout Seventh-day Adventist school in North America is renowned for upholding Adventist principles and traditional religious and social customs. 2010 saw the greatest enrolment ever with 3,053 students.
With a wide range of degree options, its small class sizes enable an excellent student-to-faculty ratio.
Southern Adventist University's educational statistics add to enormous achievements for everyone. Their outstanding academic performance is particularly evident in their retention and graduation rates.
The retention rate reveals first-year students' content with the academic program, on-campus amenities, and even campus culture. Most Southern students are pleased with what they find on campus, considering they return to school at a rate of 81 percent.
