# College of Charleston

Public college in Charleston, SC. IPEDS ID 217819.
Source page: https://educationguide.com/colleges/college-of-charleston · Data: https://educationguide.com/data/colleges/college-of-charleston.json · Method: https://educationguide.com/how-we-score

## Key numbers
- Acceptance rate: 60% (Fall 2024, College Scorecard)
- Average net price after grants: $18,960 per year (AcadYr 2023-24, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25)
- Graduation rate (6 years): 66%; beats 85% of SC colleges and 71% nationwide
- Median earnings 10 years after starting: $56,416; beats 79% of SC colleges and 60% nationwide
- Median debt at graduation: $17,500

## Net price by family income (per year, after grants)
| Family income | Net price |
|---|---|
| 0-30k | $12,133 |
| 30-48k | $13,406 |
| 48-75k | $16,797 |
| 75-110k | $20,089 |
| 110k+ | $24,996 |

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

## Cost to finish and years to pay back (EducationGuide calculation)
Graduates took 4.16 years on average (56% finished in 4 years; Fall 2017 entrants, IPEDS). Earnings gain = $56,416 (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 | $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 |

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

## Sticker price
- Cost of attendance: $32,362 in-state; about $57,680 out-of-state
- Tuition and fees: $12,978 in-state, $38,296 out-of-state
- Housing and meals: $14,032; books: $1,454

## Admissions
- SAT reading & writing: 590–670; SAT math: 550–640; ACT: 25–30 (25th–75th percentile, Fall 2024)
- Fall 2023: 26,683 applicants, 19,212 admitted, 2,637 enrolled; test scores considered but not required
- Fall 2024: acceptance 60%, ACT 25–30 (College Scorecard)
- Fall 2023: acceptance 72%, ACT 24–29 (IPEDS Admissions)

## Majors (56 bachelor's majors)
| Major | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Computer and Information Sciences | $67,438 | $98,059 | $25,000 |
| Information Science / Studies | $63,069 | $93,285 | $22,591 |
| Accounting | $49,702 | $85,826 | $26,375 |
| Finance | $54,634 | $84,187 | $22,500 |
| International Business | $37,624 | $76,727 | $22,500 |
| Business Administration | $41,299 | $71,360 | $23,250 |
| Marketing | $40,723 | $68,348 | $22,250 |
| Hospitality Management | $39,688 | $64,154 | $23,448 |
| Geology / Earth Science | $49,786 | $63,993 | $26,500 |
| International / Global Studies | $25,764 | $60,468 | $17,750 |
| Political Science | $35,398 | $58,955 | $26,000 |
| Communications | $36,903 | $58,371 | $23,250 |
| Physiology | $27,467 | $58,317 | $24,250 |
| Historic Preservation and Conservation | $35,326 | $57,635 | $22,375 |
| Spanish / French / Romance Languages | $32,503 | $56,122 | $26,370 |
| Public Health | $31,848 | $55,660 | $26,926 |
| Biology | $30,538 | $55,342 | $25,000 |
| Mathematics | not reported | $54,942 | not reported |
| Anthropology | $26,842 | $53,567 | $23,000 |
| Arts and Entertainment Management | $23,713 | $52,674 | $21,874 |
| Software and Media Applications | $34,166 | $52,596 | $22,750 |
| English | $29,544 | $51,705 | $25,000 |
| Sociology | $28,801 | $48,709 | $25,000 |
| Psychology | $29,339 | $47,926 | $25,850 |
| History | $28,449 | $47,424 | $27,000 |
| Education (Elementary / Secondary) | $41,402 | $46,036 | $26,423 |
| Theatre | $21,645 | $44,991 | $26,943 |
| Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | not reported | $42,466 | $25,000 |
| Studio Art | $24,070 | $38,378 | $21,500 |
| Environmental Science / Conservation | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Area Studies | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Ethnic / Gender Studies | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Special Education | $39,832 | not reported | $24,025 |
| Education (Subject Teaching) | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Computer Engineering | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Electrical Engineering | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Systems Engineering | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| German | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Classics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Liberal Arts / General Studies | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Statistics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Data Science | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Multi / Interdisciplinary Studies, Other | $45,613 | not reported | $39,037 |
| Philosophy | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Religious Studies | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Astronomy and Astrophysics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Chemistry | $39,208 | not reported | $27,000 |
| Physics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Archeology | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Economics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Urban Studies / Affairs | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Dance | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Music | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Allied Health (Imaging / Therapy / Tech) | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Real Estate | not reported | not reported | not reported |

## Major to career
- Business Administration → Management analyst: median wage $104,650 (Charleston-North Charleston, SC), $100,660 (SC), $101,860 (U.S.)
- Communications → Public relations specialist: median wage $63,780 (Charleston-North Charleston, SC), $62,730 (SC), $74,750 (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).