More selective than 79% 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 $32,362. College Scorecard.
Higher than 85% of South Carolina colleges we cover and 71% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median 54%.
Within 6 years · College Scorecard
Higher than 79% of South Carolina colleges we cover and 60% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median $53,263.
Median, 10 years after starting · College Scorecard
College of Charleston acceptance rate & admissions
Of 26,683 applicants, College of Charleston admitted 19,212 and 2,637 enrolled (IPEDS, Fall 2023 entering class). The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 1140–1310 on the SAT or 25–30 on the ACT.
IPEDS Admissions, Fall 2023 entering class
Test scores: College Scorecard, Fall 2024. Other figures: College Scorecard; IPEDS
College of Charleston tuition, cost & net price
What families actually pay per year, by income
Average net price after grants and scholarships for South Carolina residents who receive federal aid. Tap your income band.
College Scorecard, latest reported year (in-state, federal aid recipients)
Sticker price (before aid)
IPEDS 2023-24 cost items; total from College Scorecard
College Scorecard; Urban Institute Education Data Portal
What College of Charleston costs to finish, and how fast it pays back
Graduates of College of Charleston 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 | $12,133 | $50,473 | 2.2 years |
| $30–48k | $13,406 | $55,769 | 2.4 years |
| $48–75k | $16,797 | $69,876 | 3.1 years |
| $75–110k | $20,089 | $83,570 | 3.6 years |
| $110k+ | $24,996 | $103,983 | 4.5 years |
Cost to finish = yearly price × 4.2 years, the average time graduates took (56% 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 ($56,416) minus $33,516 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in SC (Census ACS 2020-2024), a gain of $22,900 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.
College of Charleston majors, earnings & careers
College of Charleston offers 56 bachelor's majors across 10 areas. Earnings below are for this school's graduates of each major, four years after finishing.
- Humanities & Languages · 13
- Science & Math · 11
- Business & Finance · 8
- Social Sciences & Public Service · 6
- Arts & Design · 5
- Technology & Computing · 4
- Education · 3
- Engineering · 3
- Health & Medicine · 2
- Communications & Media · 1
Highest-earning majors at College of Charleston
| Major | Earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|
| Computer and Information Sciences | $98,059 | $25,000 |
| Information Science / Studies | $93,285 | $22,591 |
| Accounting | $85,826 | $26,375 |
| Finance | $84,187 | $22,500 |
| International Business | $76,727 | $22,500 |
| Business Administration | $71,360 | $23,250 |
| Marketing | $68,348 | $22,250 |
| Hospitality Management | $64,154 | $23,448 |
Quick list of all 56 majors
- Accounting$85,826
- Allied Health (Imaging / Therapy / Tech)—
- Anthropology$53,567
- Archeology—
- Area Studies—
- Arts and Entertainment Management$52,674
- Astronomy and Astrophysics—
- Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology—
- Biology$55,342
- Business Administration$71,360
- Chemistry—
- Classics—
- Communications$58,371
- Computer and Information Sciences$98,059
- Computer Engineering—
- Dance—
- Data Science—
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology$42,466
- Economics—
- Education (Elementary / Secondary)$46,036
- Education (Subject Teaching)—
- Electrical Engineering—
- English$51,705
- Environmental Science / Conservation—
- Ethnic / Gender Studies—
- Finance$84,187
- Geology / Earth Science$63,993
- German—
- Historic Preservation and Conservation$57,635
- History$47,424
- Hospitality Management$64,154
- Information Science / Studies$93,285
- International / Global Studies$60,468
- International Business$76,727
- Liberal Arts / General Studies—
- Marketing$68,348
- Mathematics$54,942
- Multi / Interdisciplinary Studies, Other—
- Music—
- Philosophy—
- Physics—
- Physiology$58,317
- Political Science$58,955
- Psychology$47,926
- Public Health$55,660
- Real Estate—
- Religious Studies—
- Sociology$48,709
- Software and Media Applications$52,596
- Spanish / French / Romance Languages$56,122
- Special Education—
- Statistics—
- Studio Art$38,378
- Systems Engineering—
- Theatre$44,991
- Urban Studies / Affairs—
— 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 →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
Communications → Public relations specialist
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 1.8% 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. 44 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 College of Charleston with similar schools
Similar public 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| College of Charleston | 60% | $18,960 | 66% | $56,416 | This school |
| Coastal Carolina University | 75% | $13,966 | 48% | $47,258 | |
| Greenville Technical College | — | $11,713 | 21% | $39,473 | |
| Medical University of South Carolina | — | — | — | $88,420 | |
| University of South Carolina-Upstate | 67% | $13,557 | 43% | $48,587 |
College Scorecard, latest reported year. “You'd pay” follows your residency and income choices above.
Why the price is different
College of Charleston would cost you $4,994 more per year than Coastal Carolina University, on average.
- Higher sticker price at College of Charleston, mostly from higher housing & meal costs (+$2,614).
- College of Charleston gives aided families $676 more in grants, on average.
| Per year, South Carolina resident | College of Charleston | Coastal Carolina University | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuition & fees | $12,978 | $11,640 | +$1,338 |
| Books & supplies | $1,454 | $1,210 | +$244 |
| Housing & meals | $14,032 | $11,418 | +$2,614 |
| Personal & travel | $4,632 | $4,150 | +$482 |
| Living-at-home adjustment | −$734 | −$1,726 | +$992 |
| Sticker price | $32,362 | $26,692 | +$5,670 |
| Average grants | −$13,402 | −$12,726 | −$676 |
| You pay | $18,960 | $13,966 | +$4,994 |
“+” means College of Charleston 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 College of Charleston
What is the College of Charleston acceptance rate?
College of Charleston accepts 60% of applicants (College Scorecard). In the latest IPEDS admissions year, 19,212 of 26,683 applicants were admitted. The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 1140–1310 on the SAT or 25–30 on the ACT.
How much does College of Charleston cost per year?
The sticker price (cost of attendance) is $32,362 a year for in-state students. After grants and scholarships, students receiving federal aid pay $18,960 a year on average; families earning $0–30k pay $12,133 and families earning $110k+ pay $24,996.
How much do College of Charleston graduates earn?
Former College of Charleston students earn a median $56,416 ten years after starting college, compared with a U.S. median of $53,263 across the colleges we cover.
What is the College of Charleston graduation rate?
66% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 82% return for their second year.
How long does a College of Charleston degree take to pay off?
For a family earning $48–75k, finishing at College of Charleston costs about $69,876 after grants ($16,797 a year for 4.2 years, the average time graduates took). Former students earn a median $56,416 ten years after starting, $22,900 more than high school graduates in South Carolina ($33,516), so the cost is repaid in 3.1 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: “College of Charleston: cost, admissions and outcomes,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/college-of-charleston (College Scorecard and IPEDS data).