More selective than 55% of Virginia colleges we cover.
College Scorecard, Fall 2024 entering class
Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.
Sticker price $51,928. College Scorecard.
Higher than 65% of Virginia colleges we cover and 73% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median 54%.
Within 6 years · College Scorecard
Higher than 59% of Virginia colleges we cover and 66% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median $53,263.
Median, 10 years after starting · College Scorecard
SU acceptance rate & admissions
Of 3,763 applicants, Shenandoah University admitted 2,929 and 485 enrolled (IPEDS, Fall 2023 entering class).
IPEDS Admissions, Fall 2023 entering class
Test scores: College Scorecard, Fall 2024. Other figures: College Scorecard; IPEDS
SU tuition, cost & net price
What families actually pay per year, by income
Average net price after grants and scholarships for students who receive federal aid. Tap your income band.
College Scorecard, latest reported year (federal aid recipients)
Sticker price (before aid)
IPEDS 2023-24 cost items; total from College Scorecard
College Scorecard; Urban Institute Education Data Portal
State aid: Virginia residents studying full-time at eligible private nonprofit Virginia colleges may receive the Virginia Tuition Assistance Grant (VTAG): up to $5,250 a year for undergraduates in 2025-26, depending on state funding. Not included in the prices above. State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV), VTAG
SU majors, earnings & careers
Shenandoah University offers 40 bachelor's majors across 9 areas. Earnings below are for this school's graduates of each major, four years after finishing.
- Humanities & Languages · 7
- Science & Math · 7
- Arts & Design · 6
- Health & Medicine · 5
- Social Sciences & Public Service · 5
- Technology & Computing · 4
- Business & Finance · 3
- Education · 2
- Communications & Media · 1
Highest-earning majors at SU
| Major | Earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|
| Nursing | $91,096 | $29,749 |
| Business Administration | $66,673 | $27,000 |
| Biology | $66,070 | $23,250 |
| Kinesiology / Exercise Science | $64,373 | $27,000 |
| Criminal Justice | $63,290 | $25,810 |
| Psychology | $58,144 | $26,000 |
| Physiology | $54,490 | $20,750 |
| Theatre | $40,457 | $27,000 |
Quick list of all 40 majors
- Allied Health (Imaging / Therapy / Tech)—
- Applied Mathematics—
- Area Studies—
- Arts and Entertainment Management—
- Biology$66,070
- Business Administration$66,673
- Business Economics—
- Chemistry—
- Communications—
- Computer and Information Sciences—
- Computer Science—
- Criminal Justice$63,290
- Dance—
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology—
- Education (Elementary / Secondary)—
- Education (Subject Teaching)—
- English—
- Entrepreneurship—
- Environmental Science / Conservation—
- Film and Photography—
- History—
- Information Technology—
- Kinesiology / Exercise Science$64,373
- Liberal Arts / General Studies—
- Mathematics—
- Music$30,758
- Nursing$91,096
- Physiology$54,490
- Political Science—
- Psychology$58,144
- Public Administration—
- Public Health—
- Rehabilitation / Therapy Sciences—
- Religious Music and Worship—
- Religious Studies—
- Sociology—
- Software and Media Applications—
- Spanish / French / Romance Languages—
- Theatre$40,457
- Visual and Performing Arts—
— means too few graduates to report earnings.
College Scorecard field of study, latest release
All majors by area with earnings 1 and 4 years out, and debt →Nursing → Registered nurse
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 5.6% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Business Administration → Management analyst
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 10.1% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Living in Winchester
Overall prices in the Winchester, VA-WV area.
BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
2 bedrooms $1,505. Housing costs 10% below the U.S. average.
HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027
January and July average highs. 41 inches of rain a year, 23 inches of snow.
NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020
No hazard rated high.
FEMA National Risk Index, Winchester City
Campus & students
IPEDS fall enrollment; Carnegie Classification; EADA via Urban Institute
Winchester City at a glance
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year 2024
Compare SU with similar schools
Similar private colleges in Virginia by selectivity, graduation rate and size. Tap “Why?” to see where the price difference comes from.
| School | Acceptance | You'd pay | Graduation | Earnings, 10 yrs | Price gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shenandoah University | 77% | $30,298 | 67% | $58,433 | This school |
| Roanoke College | 83% | $24,503 | 67% | $58,047 | |
| Randolph-Macon College | 87% | $27,866 | 70% | $58,448 | |
| Patrick Henry College | 77% | — | 74% | — | |
| Hollins University | 68% | $20,896 | 65% | $40,075 |
College Scorecard, latest reported year. “You'd pay” follows your residency and income choices above.
Why the price is different
Shenandoah University would cost you $5,795 more per year than Roanoke College, on average.
- Lower sticker price at Shenandoah University, mostly from lower housing & meal costs (−$3,566).
- Roanoke College gives aided families $8,150 more in grants, on average.
| Per year, Virginia resident | SU | Roanoke College | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuition & fees | $36,950 | $38,068 | −$1,118 |
| Books & supplies | $1,500 | $1,000 | +$500 |
| Housing & meals | $11,800 | $15,366 | −$3,566 |
| Personal & travel | $2,600 | $2,250 | +$350 |
| Living-at-home adjustment | −$922 | −$2,401 | +$1,479 |
| Sticker price | $51,928 | $54,283 | −$2,355 |
| Average grants | −$21,630 | −$29,780 | +$8,150 |
| You pay | $30,298 | $24,503 | +$5,795 |
“+” means SU costs more; “−” means it costs less. Grants are the sticker price minus the net price. Cost items: IPEDS, on-campus budget. Sticker and net price: College Scorecard, latest reported year; the adjustment reconciles the two. Net price is an average for first-time, full-time students receiving federal aid, not a quote.
Common questions about SU
What is the SU acceptance rate?
Shenandoah University accepts 77% of applicants (College Scorecard). In the latest IPEDS admissions year, 2,929 of 3,763 applicants were admitted.
How much does Shenandoah University cost per year?
The sticker price (cost of attendance) is $51,928 a year. After grants and scholarships, students receiving federal aid pay $30,298 a year on average; families earning $0–30k pay $24,356 and families earning $110k+ pay $33,591.
How much do SU graduates earn?
Former Shenandoah University students earn a median $58,433 ten years after starting college, compared with a U.S. median of $53,263 across the colleges we cover.
What is the SU graduation rate?
67% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 82% return for their second year.
Is SU the right fit for your family?
Get a free report comparing SU with up to 4 other schools on what you'd actually pay, what graduates in your major earn, and how each fits your priorities.
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Sources on this page: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS; U.S. Census Bureau (ACS); Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS, Employment Projections); Bureau of Economic Analysis; HUD; NOAA; FEMA; Urban Institute Education Data Portal (ODC-By); Wikidata. “Colleges we cover” means colleges awarding bachelor's degrees to at least 100 undergraduates. Averages are not quotes; confirm costs with the school. How we score
Data: download this school's data (JSON) · Markdown · all datasets
Cite this: “Shenandoah University: cost, admissions and outcomes,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/shenandoah-university (College Scorecard and IPEDS data).