Johnson C Smith University
Charlotte, North Carolina · Also known as JCSU · Website
$42,680
median earnings, 10 years after starting
$42,680
median earnings, 10 years after starting
Johnson C Smith University is a private nonprofit 4-year college in Charlotte, North Carolina with 1,244 undergraduates and 50 graduate students. Its average net price after grants is $20,894 a year (tuition and fees $21,300). It admits 45% of applicants and 34% of students finish within 6 years. Former students earn a median $42,680 a year 10 years after they started, and graduates leave with a median $30,000 in federal student loans.
Updated Oct 10, 2026 · June 2026 data
Net price
$20,894
US median $17,138
Tuition and fees
$21,300
US median $11,837
Admission rate
45%
US median 78%
Completion rate
34%
Within 6 years, US 58%
Median debt
$30,000
About $318 a month
Earnings at 10 years
$42,680
Rank 2,276 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
- $20,894
- Tuition and fees
- $21,300
- Cost of attendance
- $34,923
- Students with a need-based grant
- 69%
- Students with federal loans
- 75%
- Net price, family income under $30K
- $19,940
- Net price, family income $30K to $48K
- $21,165
- Net price, family income $48K to $75K
- $21,005
- Net price, family income $75K to $110K
- $19,722
- Net price, family income over $110K
- $29,050
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 $18,236 in 2015-16 to $21,300 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
- 45%
- Undergraduates
- 1,244
- Graduate students
- 50
- Part-time students
- 3.1%
- Women
- 52%
- Students per teacher
- 12
- Completion rate
- 34%
- Retention rate
- 71%
- Highest degree
- Graduate degree
- Programs
- 24
- Endowment
- $69.2M
- Other
- Historically Black college
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 2,276 of 5,094 US colleges and 50 of 147 in North Carolina (1 = highest).
| Measure | College | NC median | Same kind | US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net price | $20,894 | $14,086 | $22,320 | $17,138 |
| Tuition in-state | $21,300 | $6,906 | $31,170 | $11,837 |
| Admission rate | 45% | 75% | 74% | 78% |
| Completion rate | 34% | 48% | 57% | 58% |
| Retention rate | 71% | 72% | 77% | 75% |
| Median debt | $30,000 | $20,000 | $24,287 | $13,271 |
| Earnings after 6 years | $31,478 | $31,569 | $44,392 | $35,656 |
| Earnings after 10 years | $42,680 | $36,048 | $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. 26% of borrowers lowered their balance within 3 years. 53% earn more than a typical high school graduate 6 years after starting.
Programs
24 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 37 | $31,742 | $37,906 | $51,371 | $68,257 |
| Biology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 24 | $26,000 | $28,675 | $42,595 | $57,214 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/FitnessBachelor's | Bachelor's | 20 | $28,750 | $29,678 | $44,678 | $54,562 |
| Social WorkMaster's | Master's | 20 | $41,000 | $48,343 | $61,497 | $65,123 |
| CriminologyBachelor's | Bachelor's | 17 | $30,500 | $32,751 | $46,215 | $55,556 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 16 | $30,500 | $33,847 | $38,941 | $53,072 |
| Computer and Information Sciences, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 14 | $29,500 | $29,621 | Withheld | $92,374 |
| Communication and Media StudiesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 12 | $31,000 | $26,090 | $40,600 | $56,359 |
| Psychology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 10 | $31,000 | Withheld | Withheld | $50,706 |
| Social WorkBachelor's | Bachelor's | 10 | $32,889 | Withheld | Withheld | $51,790 |
| Public HealthBachelor's | Bachelor's | 7 | - | - | Withheld | - |
| English Language and Literature, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 3 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Political Science and GovernmentBachelor's | Bachelor's | 3 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $63,293 |
| Visual and Performing Arts, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 3 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $41,688 |
| DanceBachelor's | Bachelor's | 2 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $39,980 |
| ChemistryBachelor's | Bachelor's | 1 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $65,120 |
| HistoryBachelor's | Bachelor's | 1 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $50,680 |
| Computer EngineeringBachelor's | Bachelor's | 0 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $109,015 |
| Romance Languages, Literatures, and LinguisticsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 0 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| MathematicsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 0 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $69,562 |
| Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, OtherBachelor's | Bachelor's | 0 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| EconomicsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 0 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $82,686 |
| MusicBachelor's | Bachelor's | 0 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $42,892 |
| Mental and Social Health Services and Allied ProfessionsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 0 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $52,119 |
In the area
- Jobs, pay and new homes: the county of Charlotte and North Carolina on Local Economy
- More colleges: All colleges in North Carolina
- Homes: Homes for sale in North Carolina
Questions and answers
How much does Johnson C Smith University cost?
$20,894 a year is the average net price at Johnson C Smith University after grants and scholarships. Tuition and fees are $21,300, and the full cost of attendance with housing, food and books is $34,923. Families earning under $30,000 pay $19,940 on average.
What is the acceptance rate at Johnson C Smith University?
45% of applicants are admitted to Johnson C Smith University. The median admission rate of colleges in North Carolina is 75%.
How much do Johnson C Smith University graduates earn?
$42,680 a year is the median pay of former Johnson C Smith University students who work, 10 years after they started ($31,478 after 6 years). That ranks 2,276 of 5,094 US colleges and 50 of 147 in North Carolina. Its best-paid program one year after graduation is Social Work (Master's) at $48,343.
How much student debt do Johnson C Smith University graduates have?
$30,000 is the median federal student loan debt of Johnson C Smith University graduates, about $318 a month over 10 years. The median across US colleges is $13,271. 75% of undergraduates take out federal loans.
What is the graduation rate at Johnson C Smith University?
34% of first-time, full-time students at Johnson C Smith University finish within 6 years. 71% 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 Johnson C Smith University?
Business Administration, Management and Operations (37 bachelor's graduates), Biology, General (24 bachelor's graduates), Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness (20 bachelor's graduates) had the most graduates in the newest year, out of 24 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.