South University

Legal name: South University - Member Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
815128459
IRS 990 coverage
2020–2024
Official website data refreshed
Jun 2026
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Savannah, GA, USA
Phone
8884443404
Rating
85
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Higher Education Institutions

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$305,449,830
Expenses
$277,229,298
Assets
$156,264,687
Liabilities
$113,513,164

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

20 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • STEVEN YOHO (CHANCELLOR & CEO)

Highest reported compensation

  • STEVEN YOHO (CHANCELLOR & CEO): $645,460 total reported compensation
  • GILBERT SINGLETARY (VC ACADEMIC AFFAIRS): $330,088 total reported compensation
  • ALISA KROUSE (VC STUDENT AFFAIRS): $276,402 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

South University is a student-centered institution committed to cultivating a dynamic learning environment that fosters professional readiness and a sense of social responsibility. Our culture of academic excellence empowers students, faculty, and staff to reach their full potential and contribute positively to their lives, professions, and communities.

What it reported doing in 2024

South university is an academic institution dedicated to providing educational opportunities for the intellectual, social and professional development of a diverse student population. South university is recognized as a 501(c)(3) entity by the internal revenue service, department of the treasury. South university is accredited by the southern association of colleges and schools commission on colleges to award associate, baccalaureate, masters and doctorate degrees. With 11 locations in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas, and Virginia, south university's approach to higher education, and the resulting varied academic experiences, provides students with the pragmatic approach necessary to create the foundation for personal and professional fulfillment. The university provides a learning environment, both on-campus and online, that helps students identify goals and the means to achieve them. With this philosophy in mind, students can learn by interacting with a community of faculty, staff and administration dedicated to south university's academic purpose. South university offers academic programs across its 11 campuses and through online programs. The university's academics are organized across five colleges: arts and sciences, business, health professions, nursing and public health, theology - and a school of pharmacy.in fall 2024, a total of 12,528 students enrolled at south universitycampuses and online with 84% who attend fully online. More than 29% ofstudents are enrolled in graduate programs. 71% of studentsare from diverse populations - and 75% of students are female.

Operating model

Revenue model
Earned-program. 100% of the money available for current operations came from fees and other program revenue.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 87% of reported program-service expenses outside its grant, affiliate-payment, and member-benefit lines. This expense classification does not rule out separately announced grant awards.

The verdict

STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Total assets are small relative to annual expenses; liquid coverage is unknown and some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 76
  • Transparency & Controls: 95
  • Accountability: 95
  • Sustainability: 50
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 82.5%; rating input score 82
  • Program expense ratio: 90.9%; rating input score 91
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 68th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 6 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 100
    • Compensation committee: Pass
    • Independent consultant: Pass
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
    • Written employment contract: Pass
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 77th percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Limited
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 77th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 8 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 89
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: Pass
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Fail
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 9.2%; rating input score 71; 71st percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.56; rating input score 21; 21st percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.73; rating input score 21; 21st percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 1.3%; rating input score 68; 68th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 7.8% per year; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 10.9% per year; rating input score 100; 80th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 14.6% per year; rating input score 100; 85th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • What they do: 1 operating location identified
  • Where the money goes: 82.5% of revenue deployed · 90.9% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 6 of 6 board members independent · 8 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $251.9M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $645K · 20 people listed · 6 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 25 of 25 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes grants and executive pay
  • Filing history: 4 filing years from 2020 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 15 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 8 filed related-organization links
  • Grant readiness: Federal tax and exclusion status, award history, and grant-maker relationships.
  • People: Everyone the filings name, and which of them the filings identify by more than a name.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

Grant-readiness screening is separate from the live rating, not a measure of program quality. Review the source records before making a grant decision.

  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 21/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Form 990 shared with the board not reported.
  • High — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 21/100.
  • High — Grant Readiness: Automatic revocation: this organization had its federal tax-exempt status automatically revoked.