More selective than 3% of South Carolina colleges we cover.
College Scorecard, Fall 2024 entering class
Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.
Sticker price $44,558. College Scorecard.
Higher than 50% of South Carolina colleges we cover and 37% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median 54%.
Within 6 years · College Scorecard
Higher than 56% of South Carolina colleges we cover and 28% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median $53,263.
Median, 10 years after starting · College Scorecard
CSU acceptance rate & admissions
Of 6,072 applicants, Charleston Southern University admitted 4,620 and 725 enrolled (IPEDS, Fall 2023 entering class). The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 930–1160 on the SAT or 18–24 on the ACT.
IPEDS Admissions, Fall 2023 entering class
Test scores: College Scorecard, Fall 2024. Other figures: College Scorecard; IPEDS
CSU 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
What CSU costs to finish, and how fast it pays back
Graduates of Charleston Southern University took 4.2 years on average to finish, so the yearly price adds up to the total below. Payback compares former students' earnings with what high school graduates earn in South Carolina. The figures follow your residency and income choices above.
| Family income | Net price / yr | Cost to finish | Years to pay back |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0–30k | $20,145 | $84,206 | 6.8 years |
| $30–48k | $23,024 | $96,240 | 7.8 years |
| $48–75k | $20,697 | $86,513 | 7.0 years |
| $75–110k | $21,648 | $90,489 | 7.3 years |
| $110k+ | $23,226 | $97,085 | 7.8 years |
Cost to finish = yearly price × 4.2 years, the average time graduates took (41% finished in 4 years; students who entered fall 2017, IPEDS). Years to pay back = cost to finish ÷ the earnings gain: median earnings of former students 10 years after starting ($45,898) minus $33,516 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in SC (Census ACS 2020-2024), a gain of $12,382 a year. Before taxes, loan interest and earnings given up while in school. Method
College Scorecard (net price, earnings); IPEDS Graduation Rates (time to finish); U.S. Census Bureau ACS (high school earnings). Calculated by EducationGuide.
CSU majors, earnings & careers
Charleston Southern University offers 57 bachelor's majors across 11 areas. Earnings below are for this school's graduates of each major, four years after finishing.
- Humanities & Languages · 12
- Business & Finance · 10
- Health & Medicine · 8
- Social Sciences & Public Service · 8
- Science & Math · 7
- Arts & Design · 3
- Technology & Computing · 3
- Education · 2
- Trades & Applied Technology · 2
- Communications & Media · 1
- Engineering · 1
Highest-earning majors at CSU
| Major | Earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|
| Computer Science | $97,290 | — |
| Nursing | $75,175 | $31,000 |
| Business Administration | $69,117 | $27,000 |
| Accounting | $58,600 | — |
| Human Resources | $57,482 | — |
| Health Administration | $57,253 | — |
| Marketing | $57,179 | — |
| Criminal Justice | $53,162 | $27,000 |
Quick list of all 57 majors
- Accounting$58,600
- Air Transportation—
- Allied Health (Imaging / Therapy / Tech)—
- Applied Mathematics—
- Biochemistry—
- Biology$46,399
- Business—
- Business Administration$69,117
- Chemistry—
- Communications$50,824
- Computer and Information Sciences—
- Computer Science$97,290
- Criminal Justice$53,162
- Economics—
- Education (Elementary / Secondary)$43,743
- Education (Subject Teaching)$48,154
- Engineering—
- English—
- Entrepreneurship—
- Finance—
- Graphic / Interior / Fashion Design$41,925
- Health Administration$57,253
- History—
- Hospitality Management—
- Human Development and Family Studies—
- Human Resources$57,482
- Information Science / Studies—
- Kinesiology / Exercise Science$47,715
- Legal Studies / Paralegal—
- Liberal Arts / General Studies—
- Management Information Systems—
- Marketing$57,179
- Mathematics—
- Medical Laboratory Science—
- Middle / Near Eastern and Semitic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics—
- Military Systems and Maintenance Technology—
- Missions / Missionary Studies and Missiology—
- Music—
- Natural Sciences—
- Nursing$75,175
- Pastoral Counseling / Ministry—
- Philosophy—
- Political Science—
- Pre-Med / Pre-Health—
- Psychology$41,934
- Public Health—
- Rehabilitation / Therapy Sciences—
- Religious Music and Worship—
- Religious Studies—
- Security / Homeland Security—
- Social Sciences$44,416
- Sociology—
- Spanish / French / Romance Languages—
- Theatre—
- Theology / Ministry—
- Writing—
- Zoology / Animal Biology—
— 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 Charleston
Overall prices in the Charleston-North Charleston, SC area.
BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
2 bedrooms $1,884. Housing costs 20% above the U.S. average.
HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027
January and July average highs. 53 inches of rain a year, almost no snow.
NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020
Highest: hurricane (very high); coastal flooding (very high).
FEMA National Risk Index, Charleston County
Campus & students
IPEDS fall enrollment; Carnegie Classification; EADA via Urban Institute
Charleston County at a glance
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year 2024
Compare CSU with similar schools
Similar private colleges in South Carolina 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charleston Southern University | 96% | $21,666 | 47% | $45,898 | This school |
| Columbia International University | 94% | $26,036 | 47% | $38,951 | |
| Newberry College | 90% | $21,656 | 45% | $48,040 | |
| Columbia College | 94% | $18,408 | 37% | $41,338 | |
| Southern Wesleyan University | 100% | $15,464 | 52% | $47,756 |
College Scorecard, latest reported year. “You'd pay” follows your residency and income choices above.
Why the price is different
Charleston Southern University would cost you $4,370 less per year than Columbia International University, on average.
- Higher sticker price at Charleston Southern University.
- Charleston Southern University gives aided families $5,883 more in grants, on average.
| Per year, South Carolina resident | CSU | CIU | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sticker price | $44,558 | $43,045 | +$1,513 |
| Average grants | −$22,892 | −$17,009 | −$5,883 |
| You pay | $21,666 | $26,036 | −$4,370 |
“+” means CSU 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 CSU
What is the CSU acceptance rate?
Charleston Southern University accepts 96% of applicants (College Scorecard). In the latest IPEDS admissions year, 4,620 of 6,072 applicants were admitted. The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 930–1160 on the SAT or 18–24 on the ACT.
How much does Charleston Southern University cost per year?
The sticker price (cost of attendance) is $44,558 a year. After grants and scholarships, students receiving federal aid pay $21,666 a year on average; families earning $0–30k pay $20,145 and families earning $110k+ pay $23,226.
How much do CSU graduates earn?
Former Charleston Southern University students earn a median $45,898 ten years after starting college, compared with a U.S. median of $53,263 across the colleges we cover.
What is the CSU graduation rate?
47% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 63% return for their second year.
How long does a CSU degree take to pay off?
For a family earning $48–75k, finishing at Charleston Southern University costs about $86,513 after grants ($20,697 a year for 4.2 years, the average time graduates took). Former students earn a median $45,898 ten years after starting, $12,382 more than high school graduates in South Carolina ($33,516), so the cost is repaid in 7.0 years of that gain, before taxes and interest (EducationGuide calculation).
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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: “Charleston Southern University: cost, admissions and outcomes,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/charleston-southern-university (College Scorecard and IPEDS data).