Quad

Head-to-head

Piedmont
Southern Virginia

Key differences

The biggest gaps between these schools, largest first.

  1. 1

    Piedmont's grants cover 51% of its full price on average, vs. 29% at Southern Virginia

    Aid generosity
  2. 2

    Piedmont has 14 pts more first-gen students than Southern Virginia (31% vs. 17%)

    First-generation students
  3. 3

    Piedmont is more diverse (index 0.55 vs. 0.45)

    Diversity index
  4. 4

    Southern Virginia's yield is 7 pts higher than Piedmont's

    Yield rate
  5. 5

    Piedmont graduates 5 pts more of its students than Southern Virginia (53% vs. 48%)

    Graduation rate
  6. 6

    Southern Virginia has 3 pts more Pell recipients than Piedmont (45% vs. 42%)

    Pell Grant recipients

The shape of each school

Each axis is a national rank among 4-year colleges; further out = more of it.

SelectivityTest scoresSizePell shareFirst-genDiversity

Hollow dots at the center mean that measure isn't reported.

Who's hardest to get into

Piedmont admits 93%, Southern Virginia 96%; Southern Virginia's yield is higher, at 21%.

Acceptance rate
Piedmont93%
Southern Virginia96%
Quad's selectivity
  • PiedmontOpen
  • Southern VirginiaOpen
SAT middle 50%Axis 900–1600
Piedmont
1038–1245
Southern VirginiaTest-blind
How they read a recordfirst-years at 3.75+
  • PiedmontGPA and school record required
  • Southern VirginiaGPA and school record required

Who's on each campus

Piedmont is a bit larger than Southern Virginia (1,117 vs. 936 undergrads); Southern Virginia has the larger Pell share.

Undergrads
Piedmont1.1K
Southern Virginia936
Pell Grant share
Piedmont42%
Southern Virginia45%

Majors and faculty

Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse leads at Piedmont, and Business/Commerce at Southern Virginia; Piedmont has 12 students per faculty member to Southern Virginia's 14.

Students per faculty member
Piedmont12 to 1
Southern Virginia14 to 1
Most popular majorshare of graduates
  • PiedmontRegistered Nursing/Registered Nurse22%
  • Southern VirginiaBusiness/Commerce, General23%

What each costs

Piedmont costs about $1.1K less a year than Southern Virginia on average, and its grants cover the larger share of its price.

Average cost, all students
Piedmont$23.3K
Southern Virginia$24.4K
Aid generosity
Piedmont51%
Southern Virginia29%

What each pays off

Southern Virginia's former students earn more, a median $50K ten years after enrolling; six-year graduation runs from 53% at Piedmont to 48% at Southern Virginia.

Median earnings, 10 years
Piedmont$49.1K
Southern Virginia$50K
Graduation rate
Piedmont53%
Southern Virginia48%

How each has changed

Applications grew at Piedmont but fell at Southern Virginia; both got less selective.

Applications, 10-year change
  • PiedmontGrowing+78%
  • Southern VirginiaShrinking−13%
All the numbersEvery figure for these colleges in one table, with differences highlighted.
Sources for this comparisonEvery dataset and year behind the numbers in this comparison; tap any ⓘ for one number's source

Sources:IPEDS Admissions survey, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, most recent release;IPEDS Institutional Characteristics survey, 2023–24;IPEDS Student Financial Aid survey, 2023–24;College Scorecard, Entered fall 2023;IPEDS Fall Enrollment survey (part D), Fall 2024;IPEDS Completions survey (degrees awarded by field), 2024–25 graduates;College Scorecard, 2023–24;IPEDS Graduation Rates survey (Pell Grant and subsidized loan recipients), Entered fall 2018About the data(retrieved 2026-10-12)

Figures are the newest each college has published; years can differ between colleges. Each value's ⓘ shows its source and year. Why