Colleges / American College of the Building Arts
College · Private nonprofit · Charleston, SC · City
ACB

American College of the Building Arts

Charleston, SC

Address649 Meeting Street, Charleston, SC 29403-4223
Websiteacba.edu
Price calculatorRun your numbers →
Admit rate44%
6-yr median pay—
Net price / yr$30k
Undergrad size155
§ I · The real read

What it's actually like.

The bet

Net price of $30k/yr. Math out whether that works for you — it does for some people, not for others.

Getting in

Admit rate of 44% means this is selective — grades, essays, and testing matter. Admitted students average SAT 1190 · ACT 24.

If you get in

155 undergrads. Tiny. Every professor will know your name.

Where you live

City campus — public transit, off-campus food, weekends happen nearby.

§ II · Cost & aid

Sticker vs. real.

Sticker cost of attendance is $38k/yr. After need-based aid, the average student pays $30k/yr. Merit aid varies. Run your EFC calculator before you rule anything out.

Sticker · 4 yrs$152k
Before any aid.
Net · 4 yrs$122k
What the average student pays.
Typical aid$31k
Difference over 4 years — higher for lower-income households.

Where the money goes · annual sticker.

Tuition · in-state
$21.5k
Books & supplies
$950

How students pay for it.

Pell grants18%
Share of undergrads on federal Pell grants.
Federal loans39%
Share taking out federal student loans.
Median debt · grads$13k
What the median student owes at graduation.
3-yr default0%
Low — grads tend to pay on time.
§ III · Outcomes

Do people finish? Do they land?

1-yr retention87%
Solid.
Graduation · 6 yr62%
Majority finish.
Transfer out7%
Share of full-time students who transfer to another school.
§ IV · Campus & identity

Setting, size, and who this school is.

Setting
City
Control
Private nonprofit
Undergrad size
155
Location
Charleston, SC
Region
Southeast (AL, AR, FL, GA, KY, LA, MS, NC, SC, TN, VA, WV)
Carnegie class
Associate's Colleges: High Career & Technical · Mixed
Size & setting
Four-year · very small · primarily nonresidential
Undergrad program
Four-year · full-time, inclusive, higher transfer-in
Accreditor
Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges
§ · Who studies here

The student body at a glance.

  • White90%
  • Black3%
  • Asian3%
  • Hispanic2%
  • American Indian / Alaska Native1%
  • Two or more races1%
Part-time1%
Mostly a full-time student body.
§ V · Majors offered here · 1

What you can study.

Colleges / American College of the Building Arts
College · Private nonprofit · Charleston, SC · City
ACB

American College of the Building Arts

Charleston, SC

Address649 Meeting Street, Charleston, SC 29403-4223
Websiteacba.edu
Price calculatorRun your numbers →
Admit rate44%
6-yr median pay—
Net price / yr$30k
Undergrad size155
§ I · The real read

What it's actually like.

The bet

Net price of $30k/yr. Math out whether that works for you — it does for some people, not for others.

Getting in

Admit rate of 44% means this is selective — grades, essays, and testing matter. Admitted students average SAT 1190 · ACT 24.

If you get in

155 undergrads. Tiny. Every professor will know your name.

Where you live

City campus — public transit, off-campus food, weekends happen nearby.

§ II · Cost & aid

Sticker vs. real.

Sticker cost of attendance is $38k/yr. After need-based aid, the average student pays $30k/yr. Merit aid varies. Run your EFC calculator before you rule anything out.

Sticker · 4 yrs$152k
Before any aid.
Net · 4 yrs$122k
What the average student pays.
Typical aid$31k
Difference over 4 years — higher for lower-income households.

Where the money goes · annual sticker.

Tuition · in-state
$21.5k
Books & supplies
$950

How students pay for it.

Pell grants18%
Share of undergrads on federal Pell grants.
Federal loans39%
Share taking out federal student loans.
Median debt · grads$13k
What the median student owes at graduation.
3-yr default0%
Low — grads tend to pay on time.
§ III · Outcomes

Do people finish? Do they land?

1-yr retention87%
Solid.
Graduation · 6 yr62%
Majority finish.
Transfer out7%
Share of full-time students who transfer to another school.
§ IV · Campus & identity

Setting, size, and who this school is.

Setting
City
Control
Private nonprofit
Undergrad size
155
Location
Charleston, SC
Region
Southeast (AL, AR, FL, GA, KY, LA, MS, NC, SC, TN, VA, WV)
Carnegie class
Associate's Colleges: High Career & Technical · Mixed
Size & setting
Four-year · very small · primarily nonresidential
Undergrad program
Four-year · full-time, inclusive, higher transfer-in
Accreditor
Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges
§ · Who studies here

The student body at a glance.

  • White90%
  • Black3%
  • Asian3%
  • Hispanic2%
  • American Indian / Alaska Native1%
  • Two or more races1%
Part-time1%
Mostly a full-time student body.
§ V · Majors offered here · 1

What you can study.