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South University is a private, for-profit institution founded in 1899 in Savannah, Georgia. It holds SACSCOC regional accreditation, operates a quarter-term system, and has built one of the most distinctive health professions program portfolios of any primarily online for-profit university. The physician assistant program holds ARC-PA accreditation with continued status through 2035. The pharmacy program is ACPE-accredited and runs on an accelerated 3-calendar-year PharmD track. The anesthesiologist assistant program is one of only two in Georgia, alongside Emory University. Nursing programs are CCNE-accredited through BSN, MSN, and DNP.

For-profit status and the cost structure require the same transparent treatment here as for Strayer, Grand Canyon, and Capella elsewhere in this series. South University’s per-quarter-credit rate of $475 for undergraduates and the quarter-term system produce a total program cost that is higher than it initially appears and warrants explicit comparison against alternatives. Its health professions portfolio, on the other hand, contains genuine programmatic distinctions that most online for-profit competitors do not hold. This review covers all of it with the data prospective students need to make an informed decision.

What Is South University?

South University was founded in 1899 as Draughan’s Practical Business College, a vocational institution teaching accounting, banking, bookkeeping, typewriting, and shorthand. The South family acquired it in 1974, renamed it Draughan’s Junior College, then South College, and in 2001 SACSCOC accreditation at the master’s level prompted the rename to South University. The institution became the first in the Savannah area to offer a healthcare doctorate when it launched its PharmD program in 2002. It operates today as a private for-profit institution with its main campus and online operations based in Savannah, physical campuses across the southeastern United States, and an online platform serving students nationwide.

The institutional structure and finances are publicly documented in IPEDS data. In 2022, South University reported $156 million in assets against $155 million in liabilities, with $86.6 million in employee compensation and $41.8 million in advertising. That advertising-to-instruction ratio, where advertising spend is nearly equal to instructional payroll, is a metric that prospective students at any for-profit institution should review. It reflects the financial pressures inherent in enrollment-driven revenue models. It does not invalidate the programmatic accreditations, which are independently verified, but it is context that belongs in an honest review.

South University’s distinctive position in the market is its health professions portfolio. The physician assistant program, the accelerated PharmD, the anesthesiologist assistant program alongside Emory, and the CCNE-accredited nursing programs through the DNP level are credentials that most online for-profit competitors cannot match with comparable programmatic accreditation. For students who specifically need these credentials and who have compared total program cost and outcomes against alternatives, South University serves a specific professional advancement market.

Accreditation: SACSCOC and the Programmatic Portfolio

South University holds SACSCOC regional accreditation, one of the seven U.S. Department of Education-recognized regional accrediting bodies. SACSCOC accredits universities and colleges across the Southeast including Duke University, Vanderbilt University, Emory University, and the University of Georgia. SACSCOC accreditation applies equally to public, private nonprofit, and private for-profit institutions. South University’s SACSCOC accreditation is legitimate and carries full federal recognition for financial aid eligibility, credit transferability, employer recognition, and graduate school admissions.

The programmatic accreditation portfolio is the more important variable for most South University students, given that the majority of its distinctive programs are in regulated healthcare fields where field-specific accreditation determines licensure eligibility.

Two items in the table above require specific attention from prospective students. First, the ACBSP business accreditation applies only to the BBA, BS in Healthcare Management, MBA, and MBA in Healthcare Administration. The catalog explicitly states that other College of Business programs, including the MS in Accounting, MHA, MPA, MS in Information Systems, MS in Human Resources Management, MS in Leadership, and DBA, are excluded from ACBSP’s scope. Students in those programs should understand they are not in ACBSP-accredited programs even though other business programs at the same institution are.

Second, the CACREP clinical mental health counseling accreditation covers specific physical campus locations. Students considering the online version of this program should verify directly with South University whether the online delivery format retains CACREP accreditation or whether CACREP applies only to the campus-based versions at the listed locations. As documented in the education degrees and licensure article in this series, CACREP accreditation applies to specific programs at specific delivery formats, and a campus-based CACREP accreditation does not automatically extend to online delivery of the same curriculum.

For a full explanation of how CACREP, CCNE, and other programmatic accreditations affect professional licensing eligibility, see: Are Online Degrees Respected by Employers?

Programs Offered at South University Online

Nursing (CCNE-Accredited)

South University’s College of Nursing and Public Health offers CCNE-accredited programs from BSN through DNP level. Online nursing programs include RN-to-BSN completion, MSN with specializations, and DNP. The BSN programs also operate through physical campus locations across Florida, Georgia, Alabama, North and South Carolina, Virginia, and Texas, with the Texas Austin campus currently carrying a warning designation from the Texas Board of Nursing that prospective students in Texas should investigate directly before enrolling.

The BLS projects 40 percent job growth for nurse practitioners through 2032 at a $126,260 median, and 6 percent growth for registered nurses at $86,070. For working nurses seeking advancement credentials in CCNE-accredited programs, South University is one of numerous options. The relevant comparison is total program cost, including the quarter-term rate conversion, against CCNE competitors such as IWU-National & Global, Walden University, and Liberty University.

For a full overview of accredited online nursing programs for working adults, see: Accredited Online Nursing Programs for Working Adults

Physician Assistant (ARC-PA Accredited)

The Master of Science in Physician Assistant program is South University’s most clinically distinctive offering and the one with the most significant accreditation implication. ARC-PA accreditation is not supplementary to the physician assistant credential. It is the mandatory requirement for graduates to sit for the Physician Assistant National Certifying Examination (PANCE) through NCCPA. Without ARC-PA accreditation, a physician assistant program’s graduates cannot become licensed physician assistants in any U.S. state. South University’s ARC-PA Accreditation-Continued status, with the next validation review scheduled for October 2035, represents current compliance with ARC-PA standards.

The BLS projects 27 percent job growth for physician assistants through 2032 at a median annual wage of $130,020, one of the highest combined growth and compensation projections of any healthcare occupation. For students pursuing the PA credential specifically, the ARC-PA accreditation status of their program is the single most consequential factor in program selection, and South University’s ARC-PA continued status is a direct competitive advantage over any program that lacks it. However, the PA program is primarily campus-based with required clinical rotations, and prospective students should confirm the degree to which it is accessible through online delivery versus requiring physical campus attendance.

Doctor of Pharmacy (ACPE-Accredited, Accelerated)

South University’s accelerated Doctor of Pharmacy program compresses four academic years of study into three calendar years, one of only a limited number of programs nationwide at this pace. The program operates at Savannah and Columbia campuses and holds ACPE accreditation, which is required for pharmacist licensure examination eligibility. The BLS projects 3 percent growth for pharmacists through 2032 at a median annual wage of $136,030. The accelerated format saves one year of education cost and one year of opportunity cost relative to standard 4-year PharmD programs, which can represent approximately $50,000 to $100,000 in combined tuition and forgone income savings depending on the program.

The pharmacy program is campus-based by nature of its clinical requirements and is not an online program in the way that business or criminal justice programs are. Students considering the PharmD should plan for full-time residential enrollment at Savannah or Columbia.

Anesthesiologist Assistant (One of Two Programs in Georgia)

The Master of Medical Science in Anesthesia Science at the Savannah campus is accredited by CAAHEP on the recommendation of the Accreditation Review Committee for Anesthesiologist Assistants (ARC-AA). This program qualifies graduates to sit for the Certified Anesthesiologist Assistant (CAA) national certification examination and to practice as anesthesiologist assistants under physician anesthesiologist supervision. South University and Emory University are the only two institutions in Georgia that offer this program. The BLS does not separately track anesthesiologist assistants in its standard occupational tables, but the Bureau categorizes them within the broader healthcare practitioners category where median wages exceed $100,000. This is an inherently campus-based clinical program.

Business Programs (ACBSP Select)

The ACBSP-accredited business programs include the BBA, BS in Healthcare Management, MBA, and MBA in Healthcare Administration. These credentials carry the ACBSP programmatic quality signal that is broadly accepted by employers. Students considering other College of Business programs, including the DBA, MS in Accounting, MS in Information Systems, MS in Human Resources, MHA, or MPA, should note these are outside ACBSP’s scope at South University and carry only institutional SACSCOC accreditation.

Criminal Justice and Legal Studies

Criminal justice programs at South University are available fully online at bachelor’s and master’s levels, serving law enforcement professionals and public safety workers seeking credentials for promotion eligibility. SACSCOC accreditation provides the institutional credential recognition that government employers and OPM qualification standards require.

Counseling and Psychology

The CACREP-accredited Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling is available at specific physical campuses. Psychology programs include undergraduate and graduate offerings. Students seeking CACREP credentials for LPC licensure should verify with the specific program whether the online delivery format maintains CACREP accreditation or whether CACREP applies only to the campus-based versions.

BLS Career Outcomes by South University Program Area

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook and Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2023-24 Edition.

The physician assistant projection of 27 percent growth at a $130,020 median is the strongest career outcomes signal in South University’s portfolio, reflecting the structural demand for mid-level healthcare providers that has driven PA program expansion nationally. The nurse practitioner trajectory of 40 percent growth at $126,260 is equally strong. These are the two program areas where South University’s specialized programmatic accreditations carry the most direct and non-substitutable career value.

Tuition, Cost, and the Quarter-Term Calculation

South University operates on a quarter-term system, and the per-quarter-credit rate of $475 for undergraduates requires careful conversion before comparison with semester-based alternatives. The same principle applies here as in the OSU Ecampus review: quarter credits are worth two-thirds of semester credits, meaning the effective cost per semester-credit-equivalent at South University is approximately $475 脳 1.5 = $712.50, not $475.

For a standard 180-quarter-credit bachelor’s degree completed entirely at South University with no transfer credits, total tuition is approximately $85,500. This is substantially higher than private nonprofit online alternatives. SNHU charges approximately $330 per semester credit for a total of $39,600 over 120 semester credits. Liberty University charges approximately $390 per semester credit for a total of $46,800. Even Penn State World Campus at $593 per semester credit totals $71,160, below South University’s full-program cost.

The tiered tuition reduction program partially offsets this. Students who remain enrolled and successfully earn credits at specified thresholds may qualify for 10 to 20 percent reductions in tuition. The maximum 20 percent reduction on a $475 per-quarter-credit base brings the effective rate to $380 per quarter credit, or approximately $570 per semester-credit-equivalent. This is still above SNHU and Liberty but below Penn State. The specific eligibility thresholds and terms of the tiered reduction should be confirmed in writing with South University before enrollment.

For students in health professions programs where South University’s specialized accreditations are the primary reason for enrollment, physician assistant, pharmacy, anesthesiologist assistant, and nursing, the cost comparison is less about South University versus SNHU and more about South University versus other ARC-PA, ACPE, or CCNE-accredited programs with comparable clinical training quality. Those program-specific comparisons are the ones that matter for these students.

For a complete guide to evaluating total program cost against expected career outcomes before committing tuition, see: Is Student Loan Debt Worth It for an Online Degree?

For-Profit Context: What Prospective Students Should Evaluate

South University’s for-profit status means it distributes profits to shareholders and operates under different regulatory and tax treatment than nonprofit institutions. As with Strayer, Capella, Grand Canyon, and other for-profit institutions reviewed in this series, for-profit status does not invalidate SACSCOC regional accreditation or the specialized programmatic accreditations held by individual programs. It does signal that prospective students should apply thorough due diligence to publicly available outcome data before enrolling.

The publicly available financial data showing $41.8 million in advertising against $43.6 million in direct instruction costs in 2022 is a metric worth understanding. At institutions where advertising budget approaches instructional payroll, the financial model depends on enrollment volume in ways that can create incentive structures around recruitment practices. SACSCOC’s accreditation process evaluates financial stability and governance as part of ongoing accreditation, and South University’s continued SACSCOC accreditation indicates it is meeting the minimum financial governance standards.

The U.S. Department of Education’s College Scorecard publishes median earnings and debt data for South University graduates. Students should review that data for their specific program area, compare it against the BLS occupational data presented in this review, and calculate the debt-to-expected-salary ratio before committing to enrollment in any program. The clinical health professions programs, where graduates enter fields paying $100,000 to $136,000, have very different debt-to-salary ratios than general business or criminal justice programs, and those differences are material to the enrollment decision.

For a full analysis of how for-profit ownership affects accreditation and employer recognition in comparison to nonprofit alternatives, see: Are Online Degrees Respected by Employers?

Who South University Online Is Best Suited For

Students Most Likely to Thrive at South University

• Students specifically targeting the physician assistant credential who have confirmed that South University’s ARC-PA Accreditation-Continued status is current for their target campus and who have compared South University’s PA program structure, cost, and PANCE first-time pass rate against other ARC-PA programs in their geographic region.
• Students pursuing the accelerated 3-calendar-year PharmD at Savannah or Columbia who have calculated that the time savings versus a standard 4-year program justify the per-credit cost premium, and who are prepared for the intensity of a compressed pharmacy curriculum.
• Students interested in the anesthesiologist assistant program who are geographically accessible to the Savannah campus and who have researched the CAA job market in their target practice region, where the credential is recognized in some states more than others.
• Working nurses in southeastern states who want CCNE-accredited RN-to-BSN or MSN programs at physical campus locations and for whom South University’s regional presence makes clinical coordination more accessible than purely online alternatives.
• Students in CACREP-specific counseling programs at the accredited physical campus locations who have verified their specific program retains CACREP accreditation and who plan to seek LPC licensure in states requiring CACREP.

Students Who May Want to Consider Other Options

• Students evaluating South University primarily for general business, criminal justice, or non-health-professions programs where the programmatic accreditation distinctions are less consequential. At South University’s per-quarter-credit rate of $475, total program costs substantially exceed comparable SACSCOC or NECHE-accredited alternatives at SNHU ($330/credit), Liberty University ($390/credit), or Strayer ($480-560/credit). The for-profit premium is difficult to justify for programs that do not require South University’s specialized health professions accreditations.
• Students considering CCNE nursing programs specifically, for whom South University is one of many options. CCNE nursing accreditation is held by IWU-National & Global, Walden University, Liberty University, Penn State World Campus, and the University of Phoenix among others, generally at lower per-credit costs. The comparison should be made on total program cost, program structure, and clinical placement support rather than CCNE accreditation alone.
• Students who want the business DBA or the MS in Accounting specifically and who expected ACBSP accreditation to apply 鈥� it does not at South University for these programs. Students who need ACBSP or AACSB for these credentials should verify with any institution that the accreditation specifically covers their program, not just the institution’s business programs generally.
• Students in states other than the listed nursing approval states, or in Texas where the Austin BSN carries a warning designation from the Texas Board of Nursing, who should verify their state’s current board approval status before committing to a nursing program with clinical licensing implications.

For adult learners evaluating for-profit versus nonprofit online institutions and what the financial and credential differences mean in practice, see: What Makes an Online University Legitimate?

Final Assessment

South University Online is a SACSCOC-regionally accredited for-profit institution whose market position is most defensible in its specialized health professions programs. The ARC-PA physician assistant accreditation, the ACPE-accredited accelerated PharmD, the ARC-AA anesthesiologist assistant program alongside Emory, and the CCNE nursing programs through the DNP level represent genuine programmatic distinctions that most online for-profit competitors cannot match. For students who specifically need these credentials and have done the due diligence on outcomes, cost, and program-specific accreditation current status, South University fills a real market gap.

The honest counterweight is the cost structure. At $475 per quarter credit, South University’s full program costs are among the highest in the for-profit online market when properly converted to semester-credit equivalents, and the advertising-to-instruction cost ratio documented in public financial disclosures is a signal worth understanding before committing. Students who are considering South University for general business, criminal justice, or non-health-professions programs should compare total program cost explicitly against nonprofit alternatives offering comparable accreditation at meaningfully lower per-credit rates.

The pre-enrollment steps that matter most at South University are program-specific: verify current ARC-PA accreditation status for the specific campus where you intend to enroll, confirm CACREP applicability for online versus campus delivery in counseling programs, confirm ACBSP scope for your specific business program, verify state nursing board approval for your state and campus, and calculate total program cost using the quarter-to-semester conversion before comparing against alternatives. These are not formalities. They determine whether South University’s programmatic credentials serve your specific career goal.

For a complete financial planning guide before enrolling at any institution, see: How Adult Students Can Graduate With Minimal Debt