Colleges / Charleston Southern University
College · Private nonprofit · Charleston, SC · City
CSU

Charleston Southern University

Charleston, SC

Religious affiliation
Address9200 University Blvd, Charleston, SC 29406-9121
Websitewww.charlestonsouthern.edu
Price calculatorRun your numbers →
Admit rate96%
6-yr median pay$41k
Net price / yr$22k
Undergrad size2,893
§ I · The real read

What it's actually like.

The bet

Net price of $22k/yr for a shot at a $41k first-5-year salary. Math out whether that works for you — it does for some people, not for others.

Getting in

Admit rate of 96% means this is workable if your grades and essays are solid. Admitted students average SAT 1059 · ACT 21.

If you get in

2,893 undergrads. Small. You will know your cohort.

Where you live

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

§ II · Cost & aid

Sticker vs. real.

Sticker cost of attendance is $45k/yr. After need-based aid, the average student pays $22k/yr. Merit aid varies. Run your EFC calculator before you rule anything out.

Sticker · 4 yrs$178k
Before any aid.
Net · 4 yrs$87k
What the average student pays.
Typical aid$92k
Difference over 4 years — higher for lower-income households.
Payback2.1x
4-yr net price ÷ first-5-year salary. Lower is better.

Where the money goes · annual sticker.

Tuition · in-state
$32.5k
Room & board
$12.2k
Books & supplies
$0

How students pay for it.

Pell grants34%
Share of undergrads on federal Pell grants.
Federal loans48%
Share taking out federal student loans.
Median debt · grads$26k
What the median student owes at graduation. Non-completers: $9k.
3-yr default0%
Low — grads tend to pay on time.
§ III · Outcomes

Do people finish? Do they land?

1-yr retention63%
Watch this number.
Graduation · 6 yr47%
A meaningful chunk do not finish — ask why.
6-yr median pay$41k
Cross-major. Your major's number can be very different.
10-yr median pay$46k
Ten years out — where grads tend to land career-wise.
Transfer out0%
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
2,893
Location
Charleston, SC
Region
Southeast (AL, AR, FL, GA, KY, LA, MS, NC, SC, TN, VA, WV)
Carnegie class
Master's Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs
Size & setting
Four-year · small · highly residential
Undergrad program
Four-year · full-time, inclusive, higher transfer-in
Accreditor
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges
Also known as
CSU · CHARLESTON SOUTHERN
Identity
Religious affiliation
§ · Who studies here

The student body at a glance.

  • White60%
  • Black18%
  • Hispanic9%
  • Two or more races5%
  • Unknown4%
  • International3%
  • Asian1%
First-gen students31%
Share whose parents didn't complete college.
Part-time6%
Mostly a full-time student body.
Median family income$41k
Of enrolled students' households — useful for aid context.
§ V · Majors offered here · 57

What you can study.

Colleges / Charleston Southern University
College · Private nonprofit · Charleston, SC · City
CSU

Charleston Southern University

Charleston, SC

Religious affiliation
Address9200 University Blvd, Charleston, SC 29406-9121
Websitewww.charlestonsouthern.edu
Price calculatorRun your numbers →
Admit rate96%
6-yr median pay$41k
Net price / yr$22k
Undergrad size2,893
§ I · The real read

What it's actually like.

The bet

Net price of $22k/yr for a shot at a $41k first-5-year salary. Math out whether that works for you — it does for some people, not for others.

Getting in

Admit rate of 96% means this is workable if your grades and essays are solid. Admitted students average SAT 1059 · ACT 21.

If you get in

2,893 undergrads. Small. You will know your cohort.

Where you live

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

§ II · Cost & aid

Sticker vs. real.

Sticker cost of attendance is $45k/yr. After need-based aid, the average student pays $22k/yr. Merit aid varies. Run your EFC calculator before you rule anything out.

Sticker · 4 yrs$178k
Before any aid.
Net · 4 yrs$87k
What the average student pays.
Typical aid$92k
Difference over 4 years — higher for lower-income households.
Payback2.1x
4-yr net price ÷ first-5-year salary. Lower is better.

Where the money goes · annual sticker.

Tuition · in-state
$32.5k
Room & board
$12.2k
Books & supplies
$0

How students pay for it.

Pell grants34%
Share of undergrads on federal Pell grants.
Federal loans48%
Share taking out federal student loans.
Median debt · grads$26k
What the median student owes at graduation. Non-completers: $9k.
3-yr default0%
Low — grads tend to pay on time.
§ III · Outcomes

Do people finish? Do they land?

1-yr retention63%
Watch this number.
Graduation · 6 yr47%
A meaningful chunk do not finish — ask why.
6-yr median pay$41k
Cross-major. Your major's number can be very different.
10-yr median pay$46k
Ten years out — where grads tend to land career-wise.
Transfer out0%
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
2,893
Location
Charleston, SC
Region
Southeast (AL, AR, FL, GA, KY, LA, MS, NC, SC, TN, VA, WV)
Carnegie class
Master's Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs
Size & setting
Four-year · small · highly residential
Undergrad program
Four-year · full-time, inclusive, higher transfer-in
Accreditor
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges
Also known as
CSU · CHARLESTON SOUTHERN
Identity
Religious affiliation
§ · Who studies here

The student body at a glance.

  • White60%
  • Black18%
  • Hispanic9%
  • Two or more races5%
  • Unknown4%
  • International3%
  • Asian1%
First-gen students31%
Share whose parents didn't complete college.
Part-time6%
Mostly a full-time student body.
Median family income$41k
Of enrolled students' households — useful for aid context.
§ V · Majors offered here · 57

What you can study.