Private nonprofit · University

Charleston Southern University

Charleston, South Carolina · Midsize city

96.5%
Admit rate
$21,666
Avg net price
47%
Graduation rate
$45,898
Median earnings

Charleston Southern University is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Charleston, South Carolina (midsize city setting), enrolling 2,893 undergraduates. It has a Baptist religious affiliation.

Private nonprofitMidsize · 2,893 undergradsMidsize cityAccessible · 96% admitNCAA Division I-FCS · Big South ConferenceNear the coast

Will you get in?

See where your numbers land against Charleston Southern University's admitted students.

Admit rate
96.5%
SAT (mid 50%)
930–1160
Avg GPA (est.)
3.03

Enter a test score to see where you land against Charleston Southern University's admitted students.

A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and Charleston Southern University's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.

About Charleston, South Carolina

Charleston is the most populous city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. In 1670, Governor William Sayle arranged for several shiploads of settlers from Bermuda and Barbados. These settlers established what was then called Charles Town at Albemarle Point, on the west bank of the Ashley River, a few miles northwest of the present-day city center. Charleston's culture blends traditional Southern U.S., English, French, and West African elements. The downtown peninsula has several arts, music, local cuisine, and fashion venues. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Midsize city
Highest degree offered
Graduate
To the ocean
12 miles
Nearest airport
6 miles to Charleston (CHS) · major hub

How Charleston Southern University compares

Selectivity96.5%

More selective than 10% · #28 most selective of 29 in South Carolina

SAT average1059

Higher than 18%

Graduation rate47%

Higher than 34% · #18 of 35 in South Carolina

First-year retention63%

Higher than 17%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$45,898

Higher than 26% · #16 of 35 in South Carolina

Average net price$21,666

Cheaper than 42% · #27 cheapest of 35 in South Carolina

Median debt at graduation$26,471

Lower than 20%

Student–faculty ratio12 : 1

Lower than 59%

Undergraduate enrollment2,893

Larger than 68%

Percentiles compare Charleston Southern University with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in South Carolina.

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

3,599students
  • Undergraduate2,89380%
  • Graduate70620%

Undergraduates by gender

2,893undergrads
  • Women1,81963%
  • Men1,07437%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White60%
  • Black18%
  • Hispanic8.8%
  • Asian1.3%
  • Other or multiracial12%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
2,893
Graduate enrollment
706
Student–faculty ratio
12 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
34%
First-generation students
31%
Students over 25
12%
Median family income
$40,996
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$58,707
Endowment
$29,841,392

Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.

Where students come from

Home state of the 725 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From South Carolina73%
  • Other U.S. states24%
  • International3.2%

Most first-years stay in state — Charleston Southern University draws overwhelmingly from South Carolina.

3% came from outside the U.S. Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.

Admissions

Admission rate
96.5%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
930–1160
SAT average
1059
SAT reading
480–600
SAT math
450–560
ACT composite
18–24
Average GPA (estimated)
3.03

Cost

In-state tuition
$32,520
Room & board
$12,200
Books & supplies
$0
Total cost of attendance
$44,558
Average net price
$21,666

Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.

Outcomes

Graduated (within 6 years)
47%
Graduated on time (4 years)
37%
First-year retention
63%
Transferred to another college
0%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$40,606
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$45,898
Median debt at graduation
$26,471
Students with federal loans
48%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
41%

About 11% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
37%
Low-income (Pell)
42%
First-generation
41%

When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing
Yes
Dorm capacity
1,382
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
48%
Application fee
$25
Athletics
NCAA Division I-FCS
Football conference
Big South Conference
Varsity athletes
439 (268 men · 171 women)

Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.

Varsity sports (9)

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)155
Football126
Baseball40
Basketball30
Soccer24
Softball22
Volleyball20
Golf14
Tennis8

Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.

Campus safety

Safety grade
C
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
2.2 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
3
Property offenses (2022–2024)
22

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (3,832 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.

Reported offenses in an average year

The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.

8.3reported offenses a year
1.0 violent a year7.3 property a year

By offense type, per year

Burglary
7.3
Fondling
1.0

Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.

What you'll actually pay, by family income

Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.

< $30k
$20,145
$30–48k
$23,024
$48–75k
$20,697
$75–110k
$21,648
$110k+
$23,226

College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.

Four-year (or more) true cost

Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.

Est. total to a degree
$89,702

$20,697/year × about 4.3 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.

Does the school pay you to attend?

Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.

97%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$15,772
average award, among those who get one

A meaningful share of freshmen — 97% — get grant money from Charleston Southern University itself, averaging $15,772, which softens the sticker price.

Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 723 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.

Is it worth it?

A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.

Median earnings (10 years)
$45,898
Typical debt at graduation
$26,471
Debt vs. one year's pay
58%
Out-earn a HS grad
54%

Typical debt would take roughly 5.8 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Solid value

A reasonable return: earnings comfortably clear the debt over a few years for most students who finish.

Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.

The pay gap here

Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.

Women
$43,652
Men
$50,973

Men out-earn women by $7,321 (17%) a decade out.

Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.

Campus climate

Summer high
91°F
Winter low
39°F
Annual rain
52.5″
Annual snow
0.3″

Average temperature

HighLow
30°70°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.03.57.0JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Charleston Intl AP, SC US station (6.1 mi from campus).

Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.

Colleges similar to Charleston Southern University

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Charleston Southern University side by side →

Colleges near Charleston Southern University

Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.