Charleston Southern University
Charleston, South Carolina · Also known as CSU|CHARLESTON SOUTHERN| · Website
$45,898
median earnings, 10 years after starting
$45,898
median earnings, 10 years after starting
Charleston Southern University is a private nonprofit 4-year college in Charleston, South Carolina with 2,893 undergraduates and 706 graduate students. Its average net price after grants is $21,666 a year (tuition and fees $32,520). It admits 96% of applicants and 47% of students finish within 6 years. Former students earn a median $45,898 a year 10 years after they started, and graduates leave with a median $26,471 in federal student loans.
Updated Oct 10, 2026 · June 2026 data
Net price
$21,666
US median $17,138
Tuition and fees
$32,520
US median $11,837
Admission rate
96%
US median 78%
Completion rate
47%
Within 6 years, US 58%
Median debt
$26,471
About $281 a month
Earnings at 10 years
$45,898
Rank 1,894 of 5,094 in the US
Cost
What a year costs: posted prices and the average after grants
Net price by family income
Average yearly cost after grants, for students who get aid
- Net price
- $21,666
- Tuition and fees
- $32,520
- Cost of attendance
- $44,558
- Students with a need-based grant
- 34%
- Students with federal loans
- 48%
- Net price, family income under $30K
- $20,145
- Net price, family income $30K to $48K
- $23,024
- Net price, family income $48K to $75K
- $20,697
- Net price, family income $75K to $110K
- $21,648
- Net price, family income over $110K
- $23,226
Net price is what students who get aid pay on average after grants.
Tuition and net price by year
School years 2015-16 to 2024-25. The year on the chart is the year the school year starts.
Yearly cost
Tuition and fees went from $23,440 in 2015-16 to $32,520 in 2024-25.
Admission, completion and retention
Share of applicants admitted, of students who finish and of first-year students who come back
Admission and students
- Admission rate
- 96%
- Average SAT
- 1,059
- SAT reading, middle
- 560
- SAT math, middle
- 535
- ACT, middle
- 21
- Undergraduates
- 2,893
- Graduate students
- 706
- Part-time students
- 6.3%
- Women
- 63%
- Students per teacher
- 12
- Completion rate
- 47%
- Retention rate
- 63%
- Highest degree
- Graduate degree
- Programs
- 82
- Endowment
- $29.8M
- Other
- Religious affiliation
Earnings and debt
Compared with the medians of the colleges of its state, of colleges of the same kind and of all US colleges
Median earnings 10 years after starting rank 1,894 of 5,094 US colleges and 18 of 78 in South Carolina (1 = highest).
| Measure | College | SC median | Same kind | US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net price | $21,666 | $16,583 | $22,320 | $17,138 |
| Tuition in-state | $32,520 | $12,978 | $31,170 | $11,837 |
| Admission rate | 96% | 75% | 74% | 78% |
| Completion rate | 47% | 46% | 57% | 58% |
| Retention rate | 63% | 69% | 77% | 75% |
| Median debt | $26,471 | $15,392 | $24,287 | $13,271 |
| Earnings after 6 years | $40,606 | $33,444 | $44,392 | $35,656 |
| Earnings after 10 years | $45,898 | $38,826 | $52,928 | $40,813 |
Best-paid programs
Median earnings 1 year after graduation
Same kind: US private nonprofit 4-year colleges. Earnings and debt are medians of former students who received federal student aid. 49% of borrowers lowered their balance within 3 years. 71% earn more than a typical high school graduate 6 years after starting.
Programs
82 fields of study and credentials, with graduates, debt and earnings
| Field of study | Graduates | Median debt | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yr | US median 4 yr | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingBachelor's | Bachelor's | 80 | $29,750 | $66,310 | $75,175 | $88,910 |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsMaster's | Master's | 74 | $41,239 | $55,632 | $81,984 | $103,485 |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 45 | $25,343 | $64,920 | $69,117 | $68,257 |
| Educational Administration and SupervisionDoctoral | Doctoral | 41 | - | - | Withheld | - |
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment ProfessionsMaster's | Master's | 41 | $125,147 | $104,573 | Withheld | $127,347 |
| Biology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 32 | $27,000 | $29,891 | $46,399 | $57,214 |
| Psychology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 29 | $27,000 | $35,364 | $41,934 | $50,706 |
| Public HealthBachelor's | Bachelor's | 27 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $58,808 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/FitnessBachelor's | Bachelor's | 25 | $27,000 | $26,722 | $47,715 | $54,562 |
| Criminal Justice and CorrectionsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 23 | $27,000 | $33,633 | $53,162 | $55,378 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 22 | $26,092 | $40,478 | $43,743 | $47,382 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject AreasBachelor's | Bachelor's | 20 | $27,323 | $40,612 | $48,154 | $51,389 |
| Design and Applied ArtsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 19 | $27,000 | Withheld | $41,925 | $51,490 |
| Communication and Media StudiesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 16 | $24,375 | $33,518 | $50,824 | $56,359 |
| Social Sciences, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 16 | $24,700 | $23,797 | $44,416 | $53,366 |
| MarketingBachelor's | Bachelor's | 14 | Withheld | Withheld | $57,179 | $69,303 |
| Educational Administration and SupervisionMaster's | Master's | 12 | Withheld | Withheld | $66,271 | $71,685 |
| Clinical, Counseling and Applied PsychologyMaster's | Master's | 12 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Human Resources Management and ServicesMaster's | Master's | 12 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $83,558 |
| Health and Medical Administrative ServicesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 11 | Withheld | Withheld | $57,253 | $58,716 |
| Criminal Justice and CorrectionsMaster's | Master's | 10 | Withheld | Withheld | $61,377 | $66,714 |
| Health and Medical Administrative ServicesMaster's | Master's | 10 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $89,981 |
| Human Resources Management and ServicesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 9 | Withheld | Withheld | $57,482 | $68,069 |
| Computer ScienceBachelor's | Bachelor's | 8 | Withheld | Withheld | $97,290 | $107,009 |
| Security Science and TechnologyBachelor's | Bachelor's | 8 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $57,805 |
In the area
- Jobs, pay and new homes: the county of Charleston and South Carolina on Local Economy
- More colleges: All colleges in South Carolina
- Homes: Homes for sale in South Carolina
Questions and answers
How much does Charleston Southern University cost?
$21,666 a year is the average net price at Charleston Southern University after grants and scholarships. Tuition and fees are $32,520, and the full cost of attendance with housing, food and books is $44,558. Families earning under $30,000 pay $20,145 on average.
What is the acceptance rate at Charleston Southern University?
96% of applicants are admitted to Charleston Southern University. The average SAT score of admitted students is 1,059 and the middle ACT score is 21. The median admission rate of colleges in South Carolina is 75%.
How much do Charleston Southern University graduates earn?
$45,898 a year is the median pay of former Charleston Southern University students who work, 10 years after they started ($40,606 after 6 years). That ranks 1,894 of 5,094 US colleges and 18 of 78 in South Carolina. Its best-paid program one year after graduation is Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Master's) at $104,573.
How much student debt do Charleston Southern University graduates have?
$26,471 is the median federal student loan debt of Charleston Southern University graduates, about $281 a month over 10 years. The median across US colleges is $13,271. 48% of undergraduates take out federal loans.
What is the graduation rate at Charleston Southern University?
47% of first-time, full-time students at Charleston Southern University finish within 6 years. 63% of first-year students come back for a second year. The median of private nonprofit 4-year colleges is 57%.
What are the most popular majors at Charleston Southern University?
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (80 bachelor's graduates), Business Administration, Management and Operations (74 master's graduates), Business Administration, Management and Operations (45 bachelor's graduates) had the most graduates in the newest year, out of 82 programs.
Official public data, June 2026 release. Net price is for first-time, full-time students who get aid. Completion counts first-time, full-time students who finish within 150% of the normal time. Debt and earnings are medians of students who received federal student aid, measured a few years after they left, in the dollars of the year measured; earnings count former students who work and are not enrolled, including those who did not finish.