South University Online
 Program CatalogTuition | Starting Dates Admissions & Application |
Highlights
- Online extension of South University, a career-oriented school founded in 1899
- Same degrees and instruction as onsite campuses
- Accelerated 5.5 week classes enables faster degree completion
- Small online class sizes targeted at 15 students
- Accredited by the Commission on Colleges, Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.
About the School
South University has been offering career-oriented education programs since 1899. The university has several campuses, with the online school being headquartered in South University's Savannah, Georgia campus. The university's online school is targeted for adult students and offers undergraduate and graduate degrees.
Students can choose from curriculums in the fields of business, nursing, healthcare, criminal justice, accounting, and information technology. The school notes that it regularly assesses its courses to help ensure that their contents are current with industry needs.
Academic Programs
The university offers a variety of programs from its colleges. The following is a brief review of each college with online programs:
- College of Health Professions – The school's online health sciences programs offer a thorough understanding of the administrative, clinical, technical and ethical aspects of the healthcare profession. The classes combine theory and industry related technical information. Graduates are prepared for employment in hospitals, community clinics, doctor offices, research organizations, pharmaceutical companies and academic institutions.
- College of Nursing – The online nursing programs are targeted at nurses that already have an RN and are seeking a bachelor's or master's nursing degree. Studies include training in the technical, clinical, administrative and ethical aspects of nursing. The program blends theory and technical information. Programs are aimed at readying students for advancing their careers in senior roles within hospitals, private practices, nursing facilities, clinics, research, pharmaceutical companies, and academics.
- College of Arts and Sciences – Offers career-focused programs in several subjects including criminal justice, legal studies, and paralegal studies. The undergraduate degree programs are structured to teach a solid foundation in general education including, physical sciences, mathematics, social sciences and language arts.
- College of Business – The programs in accounting, healthcare administration/management, business administration and information technology are designed to meet the demands of employers. The programs also include general education courses.
Learning Options
South University's online teaching approach combines the school's decades of education experience with an online teaching approach developed by Socrates Distance Learning Technologies Group® (Socrates). Via Socrates each instructor goes through approximately 100 hours of training in online instruction. Only Socrates qualified instructors teach online at South University.
Several aspects of South University's online instructional methodologies include:
- Courses are asynchronous, allowing students to interact with teachers and each other and to complete work at anytime of day or night every day of the week.
- Instructor lectures are for supplementing assigned readings, not for repeating them.
- Discussions are structured to be open ended rather than to have predefined answers.
- Curriculums are built to start from a basic level of subject matter and build up to advanced levels.
- Textbook readings are directly applicable to course content and assignments.
Faculty
The qualified instructors offer a blend of theory and practical learning. The teachers also offer individualized attention.
Student Life
South University kicks off new students' studies with a new-student orientation. New students are assigned an academic advisor that helps plan their studies.
Students have a single point of contact for questions through South University's Student Support Center. The Center is available to address questions and issues related to academics, registration, financial aid, and student accounting.
An online student community, named The Campus Common, provides a number of resources, including:
- Student discussion forum
- Professional networking with industry contacts and organizations
- Twenty-four hour technical support
- Student discussion forum
- Online library
- Online tutors
- Online store for school supplies
Admissions and Financial Aid
Requirements for admission vary by program. An admission representative assists applicants with the enrolling procedure.
Financial aid representatives work with students to create a payment strategy and offer financial aid options. Qualified students have access to federal, state, and various types of scholarships, grants and loans.
Note: This school offers rapid response to online requests:
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Student/Alumni Reviews of This School
Sort Reviews By:South University • Online
Studying Information Technology (completion in: I didn't complete my degree)
• 9/13/2011
"I would not recommend this school because although it seemed wonderful at first it became too overwhelming. The main problem was the communication between the staff. I had a hard time with my financial aid and failed several classes due to their lack of communication. I was unable to afford my books for the classes and was promised that the matter would be taken care of; instead, I failed the classes. I provided the necessary information for them to file my financial aid and it kept getting lost. At the end of the semester I ended up owing them money for their mistake. I assume the matter was cleared up within the financial aid department because now I don't owe a balance and I have an official transcript from them."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | maybe | I would suggest that they make sure their financial aid counselor is dependable and reliable to communicate with other departments of the school. My experience may be different from others, but I would hope others' experiences would be better. |
| Satisfaction With Major | 6 | I believe the teachers were very knowledgeable about the subjects they were teaching. They challenged me with the course material and assignments. |
| Instruction | 6 | I learned quite a bit from the few classes I did take. It was something I had to keep working on because it was too easy to fall behind. |
| Cost | 3 | I think it was rather expensive for online and I had to provide my own books. The assistance I had was very limited to provide all of this. |
| Schedule Flexibility | 10 | It was very flexible. I was able to do the classes online which only required me to spend a few hours each day on school. |
| Academic Facilities | 4 | It was hard to access the library online. Some of the teachers were not able to respond timely. It really seemed like I was on my own with my class assignments. |
| Social Life | 1 | I attended my classes online so there was not any of this. The social experience in the class was rather boring at times and felt very forced. |
| Placement Services | 5 | Since I did not finish the program I don't really have an answer to this question. My guess is that since I took the program online that it may be a little bit more difficult to find a job. |
| Alumni Network | 5 | There were people there that were more than willing to help you. It was not hard to find the support you needed. |
South University • Online
Studying BSB/Accounting (completion in: I didn't complete my degree)
• 9/16/2011
"I have attended 3 online universities, including South U. Each of the other 2 were preferable to South U. I changed to South U at my son's urging because his recruiter was so exuberant."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | no | I think my previous answers explain this rating. No further comment. |
| Satisfaction With Major | 5 | The classes were acceptable and as expected. They weren't fluff classes - but they weren't challenging either. |
| Instruction | 4 | I'm sure overall, the University has a good quality of educators. But the instructors I had appeared to be doing this job as an afterthought. There was no real interest in helping the students. |
| Cost | 1 | I left South U because of the cost. I refuse to get further into debt so until I can pay for school without further debt, I will not be attending college. |
| Schedule Flexibility | 8 | With the classes being online, I had very good flexibility regarding when I did my studying. I didn't rate it a 10 because there wasn't much flexibility as far as when I scheduled which class. The order of the classes was pretty cookie-cutter. |
| Academic Facilities | 5 | I didn't utilize very many of these resources. I had my own personal resources that met my needs while attending South U online. |
| Social Life | 1 | I was an online student. I had no interest in anything social dealing with the university. |
| Placement Services | 5 | I didn't utilize the school's job placement or career services assistance. Frankly, I didn't know that option would be available if I had stayed. |
South University • Savannah, GA
Studying Pharmacy (completion in: 2010)
• 9/24/2011
"Cost being the biggest factor, I feel that I should have felt more confident about my education after paying such a high price. If the drama and politics between employees would go away, the experience wouldn't have been as bad."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | no | Mainly because of cost. Secondly because of the reputation. |
| Satisfaction With Major | 6 | I felt the quality of education was less than that offered by other schools. I also felt that "politics" was an issue that stood in the way of our learning. |
| Instruction | 6 | In some classes the wrong areas of a subject were being focused on more than others (ex. the chemical makeup of a drug rather than pharmacology). There should have been more effective learning tools available. Professors should have been more available for questions outside of class time. |
| Cost | 1 | I feel that this program did not offer anything unique or exceptional compared to other pharmacy programs, yet I paid 2 to 3 times the amount in tuition (which kept rising every year). For that price I would have expected more. |
| Schedule Flexibility | 1 | The class schedule was set and repeated weekly. This is understandable. |
| Academic Facilities | 7 | The labs, classroom sizes/layout, and library were great. Accessibility of professors was often a problem. |
| Social Life | 5 | We did not have that many organized events. When we did, not many people showed up. |
| Alumni Network | 5 | It is average compared to other networks. Not much attention was given to support a network. |
South University • Online
Studying Allied Health Science
• 9/24/2011
"I love South University. They were very helpful throughout the entire process, from enrollment to class completion."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | I referred my mother, brother, and cousin to South University. I would recommend them to anyone. |
| Satisfaction With Major | 10 | I was very satisfied with my experience. I enjoyed my time at South University Online. |
| Instruction | 10 | All of my instructors were for helpful. They were always prompt when I asked for help. |
| Cost | 4 | I thought tuition was expensive compared to my local college. But, the luxury of being able to do it online and work full time was worth the money. |
| Schedule Flexibility | 10 | I could only do online because I worked full time. So, the online classes were very flexible. |
| Academic Facilities | 10 | We have an online library that is very easy to access. We were also given all materials needed to complete our classes successfully. |
| Social Life | 10 | I love how they boost student moral with contests. I could still participate in school activities online. |
| Placement Services | 10 | I love how you can use the online job center. It is so easy to understand and shows me jobs in my locations. |
| Alumni Network | 10 | I think the support program for alumni is wonderful! They continue to help you after graduation. |
South University • Online
Studying Business Administration (completion in: 2013)
• 10/6/2011
"I know that you get out of an experience what you put into it. I just want to finish my course so that I can graduate."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | maybe | It would depend on what their needs are. Most of the people I know need the actual classroom experience; they do not have the discipline to do it online. Others that I know cannot afford to pursue their education at South. So, if I know someone whose needs might be met by South University, I will let them know about the program. |
| Satisfaction With Major | 8 | So far, the classroom interactions have been great and the teachers have been very responsive. My only problem is with the low standards by which they accept students. There were students in my English 1 class who could barely spell, used horrible grammar and did not understand the concept of APA citations. That is what the remedial English class is supposed to be for, but somehow they managed to skip that. |
| Instruction | 8 | I like the teachers well enough, but I already know most of what they are teaching. I really look forward to learning something new. |
| Cost | 3 | While I enjoy the classes, and I think they provide an important service, the classes are much more expensive than a comparable program at a state college would be. Within the next year or so, I do not think my financial aid will be enough. |
| Schedule Flexibility | 10 | My classes are online, so I can access my classroom any time, day or night. Also, the site has very few maintenance problems and even when there are issues in other areas of the site, they do not affect the classrooms. |
| Academic Facilities | 10 | The professors make their office hours clear and they do make themselves available during their hours. The library has excellent resources, and there is tutoring available for most subjects. |
| Social Life | 5 | The school is online, so the social experience is somewhat limited. There is a great social network called SUO Connect, but I don't participate as much as some of the other students because I am not always in a social mood. |
| Placement Services | 6 | I have not used the job placement and career services assistance. However, most South graduates do go on to receive jobs in their fields of choice. |
South University • Online
Studying Business Administration (completion in: 2012)
• 10/16/2011
"I'm very satisfied. I got the chance to go back to school. This will help in my future endeavors."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | Yes, in fact I already have. It is a great way to learn, it's very cheap, and the faculty is very supportive. |
| Satisfaction With Major | 10 | The online site is fairly easy to use while looking at assignments. That staff that I work with are very supportive and helpful. |
| Instruction | 10 | The assignments are laid out in a manner that is easy to follow. To find out what your readings are, you can easily go to that very chapter. |
| Cost | 8 | It's really cheap compared to most other schools. It can be paid within a few months to a year depending on other cost and your job status. |
| Schedule Flexibility | 10 | The school is very flexible and allows me to take one class at a time. I get to choose the classes that I take. |
| Academic Facilities | 10 | There a few online resources that are useful, like the library, tutors, and the professors themselves. Everything is very easy to get to. |
| Social Life | 9 | The people are very nice and supportive. There are a lot of organizations that you can join. |
| Placement Services | 5 | In my area there aren't that as many jobs that I would like to see on the list. |
| Alumni Network | 10 | The alumni still have school spirit. |
South University • Savannah, GA
Studying Criminal Justice (completion in: 2011)
• 10/26/2011
"Dissatisfied. I have a degree and no employer is interested in interviewing me for any kind of job."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | no | No, I would not recommend this program. I wasted a lot of money on a degree that has yet to result in me getting even one job interview. |
| Satisfaction With Major | 5 | I'm not sure what to say other than it was average. There was nothing especially good or bad about the program. |
| Instruction | 5 | Instruction was OK. Professors really didn't stand out in my experience. |
| Cost | 1 | It's a private school so it's much more expensive than public schools are. Given that I'm unemployed and companies aren't even granting me job interviews, I'd say the value for my money was horrible. |
| Schedule Flexibility | 5 | It was simply average. Classes were generally held in the day hours, but there were a few evening classes. |
| Academic Facilities | 2 | I'd say the facilities were worse than average. Public schools would have been better. |
| Social Life | 4 | I was an adult student, so my social experience really wasn't important. I rated this as being below average because, as an adult student, the climate didn't suit me well. |
| Placement Services | 1 | It was useless. I graduated and am currently unemployed. |
| Alumni Network | 5 | I've had no significant interactions with the alumni network, so I picked average. I have no need to participate in their alumni system. |
South University • Online
Studying Nursing (completion in: 2014)
• 10/28/2011
"I feel that while some things (more personal instruction) are lacking, it has been a good experience to this point. Hopefully, that will continue and some of the more detailed instruction will pick up as the classes become more demanding."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | maybe | I think it would depend on what they are hoping to achieve. For more practical courses/majors/degrees, it is best to receive instruction on-site with hands-on learning. But for my situation, this has been a pretty good fit. |
| Satisfaction With Major | 5 | I don't think the program is as good as the one I was receiving at the University of Phoenix. In addition, they are slow to repay the money owed to me after financial aid. |
| Instruction | 6 | I have been getting good advice from my instructors. However, some of the practical stuff seems to be lacking. We are left to find many things ourselves. |
| Cost | 4 | The classes are just under $1600 apiece. While that is not bad in terms of out of state tuition if I was in Alabama attending, it is still expensive. |
| Schedule Flexibility | 10 | I have been given a lot of freedom with my assignments. Another thing is that the instructors have been really understanding about things out of my control (i.e. illness, family emergencies). |
| Academic Facilities | 5 | Again, while I have received some good advice in many early subjects, nothing has jumped out. They seem to be pretty similar to other instructors I have had. |
| Social Life | 5 | I would say I have communicated with other classmates well to this point. An early group assignment allowed me to interact with a few people nicely as well. |
| Placement Services | I do not really have a strong opinion at this point. Being in only my second month, its too early to tell. | |
| Alumni Network | 3 | It does not really exist for me. Being online, I feel disconnected from the school. |
South University • Richmond, VA
Studying Information Technology
• 11/15/2011
"South University has been pretty much everything I expected it to be, with a very decent value for its cost. I know I will be able to pursue a great career with a degree from South University."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | maybe | Depending on schools you get accepted to, South University might not be a bad choice. With a very respectable network and a great campus atmosphere, South University can be an excellent choice to pursue an undergraduate or graduate education. |
| Satisfaction With Major | 7 | South University has a decent Information Technology program, and I hope to learn a lot from it. It has an excellent staff committee in the IT department, which is excellent. |
| Instruction | 7 | My professors are extremely knowledgeable about their areas of expertise. In addition, they are openly willing to help when I have questions about work. |
| Cost | 7 | South University has a very manageable price. Compared to big name private schools, I believe South University's value is much better. |
| Schedule Flexibility | 7 | The schedule is very varied. Since the university has an online program as well, flexibility is definitely better than it is at other big name colleges. |
| Academic Facilities | 7 | I needed tutors for some of the programming classes I took as a freshmen, and they were always helpful and available. The library is a very nice facility, and academic buildings are also decent. |
| Social Life | 6 | Athletics definitely aren't a huge thing, but the social scene around campus is pretty lively. There are great parties, especially during the weekends. |
| Placement Services | 5 | I haven't personally been immersed in finding a job yet because I am only a sophomore here. However, I know friends who have graduated before me and they all seem to be happy with their jobs. |
| Alumni Network | 8 | With many campus locations nationwide, obviously South University has a nice network that goes along with it. The online connections give South University a very accessible network through the Web. |
South University • Online
Studying Criminal Justice (completion in: 2008)
• 11/12/2011
"I was very satisfied with SU. I came out of it with a degree and a better understanding of my qualifications."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | I would recommend SU for criminal justice, however I wouldn't necessarily recommend the online program. Online school is not for everyone, and some would prefer a more traditional approach to learning. |
| Satisfaction With Major | 9 | I did enjoy my time at South, but there were some small technical issues that made things difficult for me. Seeing as I was enrolled in the online degree there were sometimes system failures that kept me from turning in assignments on time and whatnot. The nice thing, though, is that my professors, knowing the the novelty of the online school, were very accommodating when it came to technical difficulties. |
| Instruction | 10 | Many people discredit online work or suggest that online school isn't as challenging as on campus, but I disagree. I learned a lot and feel completely confident in my ability to do my job. |
| Cost | 9 | I felt like the price point for SU is feasible. They were also really helpful in assisting me with financial aid and introducing me to a world of alternatives (grants, loans, scholarships) when it came to paying for school. |
| Schedule Flexibility | 10 | The online program is always undergoing changes which I think is a good sign. But even when I first started there was a lot of flexibility. The very fact that an online degree is available is indicative of how flexible South is. |
| Academic Facilities | 9 | The campus is beautiful and even though the majority of my coursework was confined to my laptop, I spent a lot of my time on campus. I spent countless hours in the library and loved all of the research assistance available. |
| Social Life | 5 | Seeing as I was enrolled in the online program, I don't really feel that I can truly judge the social aspect of SU. They did always keep me updated on organized social events via my school email. |
| Placement Services | 8 | The school, especially my advisor, were critical in me finding work post graduation. They were so helpful in assisting me in making that transition into the work force after graduation, and for that I'm eternally grateful. |
| Alumni Network | 6 | I genuinely haven't kept in touch with my fellow alumni. I think that's mostly because I was enrolled in the online program and rarely interacted in person with classmates. I think it would of been different if I had attended classes on campus. |
South University • Online Through Savannah, GA
Studying MBA (completion in: I didn't complete my degree)
• 11/8/2011
"I was not satisfied because of the high cost and because of an adviser. One counselor had me take a class that another adviser said was unnecessary."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | maybe | If you like online classes, South has a pretty good online setup and a great module to have contact with other students. However, the cost is high. Another negative would be that they keep changing your advisers and student service representatives. Once I dropped out, they have called and sent emails continuously trying to get me to enroll. All in all, not a good experience for me. |
| Satisfaction With Major | 5 | The MBA program is very expensive. The prerequisites are unnecessary. |
| Instruction | 8 | Online instructors were fair. Most of the ones I had would call me and introduce themselves. |
| Cost | 1 | This school is very expensive. I used student loan money for three quarters and I got about $500.00 extra for myself. |
| Schedule Flexibility | 8 | Flexibility was good at the school. The online programs give you plenty of time to accomplish your work. |
| Academic Facilities | 9 | South has excellent resources. Their online library is excellent and has more than enough information to get school work done. |
| Social Life | I was an online student. I have never been to the campus, so I can't rate this area. | |
| Placement Services | 3 | I was told by other students that South does not do very much as far as job placement. I was not involved in this area. |
| Alumni Network | 3 | I have not heard of anyone that I know who graduated from South. I have not been in touch with any alumni. |
South University • Montgomery, AL
Studying While Attending South University I Pursued An Associates Degree In Criminal Justice. (completion in: 2011)
• 12/27/2011
"I did enjoy my experience there, and had the tools needed to be successful in my classes. I just wish tuition wasn't so high, but tuition is high everywhere, right? lol!"
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | maybe | I would recommend it more if a degree from there is more distinguished. If someone can find a cheaper option, I would tell them to go that route. |
| Satisfaction With Major | 8 | My teachers were extremely nice and helpful. I thought I was given all the tools needed to complete my degree. |
| Instruction | 8 | I felt the courses and experiences provided me with everything I needed to be successful in the Criminal Justice field. I would have liked more on the job scenarios to have been provided in my classes, though. |
| Cost | 4 | I consider the tuition to definitely be overpriced. I will be paying roughly 1/4 of my current salary to pay back student loans for the next 8 years. |
| Schedule Flexibility | 8 | Everyone was flexible with my schedule and they were all understanding. I have a 5 year old daughter and sometimes have to provide daycare for her. Scheduling overall was great! |
| Academic Facilities | 6 | I felt I had the tools I needed to be successful. The computers were definitely outdated and slow, though. |
| Social Life | 5 | I went to school to learn and get a degree. I am also a full-time Dad, so I didn't have a lot of time for those things. |
| Placement Services | 7 | The job placement help wasn't that great. I spent a year looking for a job in my field before I finally got one. |
| Alumni Network | 5 | I wish I could have had an alumni mentor to ask questions and seek advice. It would have been nice to shadow some of the recent alumni on the job to get a better feel of the work environment of the profession. |
South University • Online
Studying Psychology (completion in: I didn't complete my degree)
• 1/12/2012
"I couldn't learn as well as I am at my current school because there was little interaction in classrooms. I did like the school, but the methods of teaching were not right for me."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | maybe | I don't think those like me would want such a basic level of teaching of such hard material, but I would recommend that they at least try it. |
| Satisfaction With Major | 7 | The program was great, but the course work was so uninvolved. You really had no help because everything was a discussion and there was no real interaction. |
| Instruction | 7 | Some teachers were rude in the classes. You had to do a lot on your own. It helped to see what the real world could be like and how you're responsible for your own education. |
| Cost | 5 | I thought the cost wasn't too bad. The expenses were pretty good for the program. |
| Schedule Flexibility | 9 | The online options were great. You had no set time to be in class. You could set your schedule and go from there. |
| Academic Facilities | 8 | The resources I used were the libraries and group supports. They were essential to my development. |
| Social Life | 5 | I met a lot of people online and you really can interact through chat rooms and linkedin. |
| Placement Services | 4 | I didn't get to experience this, but many friends tell me that the service is good. They help with resumes and with job searches. |
| Alumni Network | 5 | I really don't know too much about the alumni network except that it seems helpful and opportunities are available for alumni. |
South University • Montgomery, AL
Studying Business (completion in: 2014)
• 1/18/2012
"So far I am very happy with my school. I feel like I might be paying a little more than I would at other schools, though."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | It's hard to be part of the work force and go to school. South seems to be really used to dealing with working students, and that's very important. |
| Satisfaction With Major | 7 | They work well around my work schedule and most of the professors seem to really want students to succeed. My problem is they are the most expensive school in my area. |
| Instruction | 10 | I have yet to run into a professor who has not been there to help students succeed. All have been great, open, and truly good leaders. |
| Cost | 1 | I end up having to pay out of pocket for my tuition at South. But I'm not sure where the value is, because I'm not sure what I'm getting that other schools don't offer. |
| Schedule Flexibility | 10 | They are great about working around schedules. The Registrars really work hard to get you the classes you need. |
| Academic Facilities | 10 | We have a great library facility. There are also great computers labs for us to work in! |
| Social Life | 3 | We have very few school sponsored social activities. I think most students are working and simply don't have much extra time to get involved. |
| Placement Services | 5 | They seem to always have a decent number of job postings. I do know that they work with local hiring managers. |
| Alumni Network | 5 | I have not had any interaction with the alumni at our campus. I am sure that it is simply because they have not been there that long, though. |