# Charleston Southern University (CSU)

Private nonprofit college in Charleston, SC. IPEDS ID 217688.
Source page: https://educationguide.com/colleges/charleston-southern-university · Data: https://educationguide.com/data/colleges/charleston-southern-university.json · Method: https://educationguide.com/how-we-score

## Key numbers
- Acceptance rate: 97% (Fall 2024, College Scorecard)
- Average net price after grants: $21,666 per year (AcadYr 2023-24, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25)
- Graduation rate (6 years): 47%; beats 50% of SC colleges and 37% nationwide
- Median earnings 10 years after starting: $45,898; beats 56% of SC colleges and 28% nationwide
- Median debt at graduation: $18,250

## Net price by family income (per year, after grants)
| Family income | Net price |
|---|---|
| 0-30k | $20,145 |
| 30-48k | $23,024 |
| 48-75k | $20,697 |
| 75-110k | $21,648 |
| 110k+ | $23,226 |

Average after grants for first-time, full-time students receiving federal aid. Negative values mean grants exceed cost.

## Cost to finish and years to pay back (EducationGuide calculation)
Graduates took 4.18 years on average (41% finished in 4 years; Fall 2017 entrants, IPEDS). Earnings gain = $45,898 (median earnings of former students 10 years after starting college (College Scorecard)) minus $33,516 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in SC (Census ACS 2020-2024).

| 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 |

Method: https://educationguide.com/how-we-score#value

## Sticker price
- Cost of attendance: $44,558
- Tuition and fees: $32,520
- Housing and meals: $11,590; books: not reported

## Admissions
- SAT reading & writing: 480–600; SAT math: 450–560; ACT: 18–24 (25th–75th percentile, Fall 2024)
- Fall 2023: 6,072 applicants, 4,620 admitted, 725 enrolled; test scores considered but not required
- Fall 2024: acceptance 97%, ACT 18–24 (College Scorecard)
- Fall 2023: acceptance 76%, ACT 17–24 (IPEDS Admissions)

## Majors (57 bachelor's majors)
| Major | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Computer Science | not reported | $97,290 | not reported |
| Nursing | $66,310 | $75,175 | $31,000 |
| Business Administration | $64,920 | $69,117 | $27,000 |
| Accounting | not reported | $58,600 | not reported |
| Human Resources | not reported | $57,482 | not reported |
| Health Administration | not reported | $57,253 | not reported |
| Marketing | not reported | $57,179 | not reported |
| Criminal Justice | $33,633 | $53,162 | $27,000 |
| Communications | $33,518 | $50,824 | $27,000 |
| Education (Subject Teaching) | $40,612 | $48,154 | $27,323 |
| Kinesiology / Exercise Science | $26,722 | $47,715 | $27,000 |
| Biology | $29,891 | $46,399 | $28,979 |
| Social Sciences | $23,797 | $44,416 | $26,955 |
| Education (Elementary / Secondary) | $40,478 | $43,743 | $27,000 |
| Psychology | $35,364 | $41,934 | $27,000 |
| Graphic / Interior / Fashion Design | not reported | $41,925 | $27,000 |
| Computer and Information Sciences | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Information Science / Studies | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Engineering | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Spanish / French / Romance Languages | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Middle / Near Eastern and Semitic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Human Development and Family Studies | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Legal Studies / Paralegal | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| English | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Writing | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Liberal Arts / General Studies | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Biochemistry | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Zoology / Animal Biology | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Mathematics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Applied Mathematics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Military Systems and Maintenance Technology | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Natural Sciences | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Philosophy | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Religious Studies | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Missions / Missionary Studies and Missiology | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Religious Music and Worship | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Theology / Ministry | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Pastoral Counseling / Ministry | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Chemistry | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Security / Homeland Security | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Economics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Political Science | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Sociology | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Air Transportation | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Theatre | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Music | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Allied Health (Imaging / Therapy / Tech) | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Medical Laboratory Science | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Pre-Med / Pre-Health | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Public Health | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Rehabilitation / Therapy Sciences | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Business | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Entrepreneurship | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Finance | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Hospitality Management | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Management Information Systems | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| History | not reported | not reported | not reported |

## Major to career
- Nursing → Registered nurse: median wage $92,800 (Charleston-North Charleston, SC), $82,360 (SC), $97,550 (U.S.)
- Business Administration → Management analyst: median wage $104,650 (Charleston-North Charleston, SC), $100,660 (SC), $101,860 (U.S.)

## Sources and years
- Net price: AcadYr 2023-24, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25; cost of attendance: AcadYr 2023-24, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25; tuition: AcadYr 2024-25, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25
- Graduation: Fall 2018 or AcadYr 2018-19 cohort (differs by institutional calendar), reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25; earnings: Treasury AY2009-10, AY2010-11 pooled cohort measured in CY2020, CY2021, inflation adjusted to 2022 dollars; debt: NSLDS FY2020, FY2021 pooled cohorts
- Major earnings (4 yr): Treasury AY2017-2018, AY2018-2019 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars

Free to reuse with attribution: cite "EducationGuide.com" with a link to the page URL. Most figures are U.S. government data (public domain); loan default rates and athletics come from the Urban Institute Education Data Portal (ODC-By 1.0, attribution required) and founding years from Wikidata (CC0).