College of Charleston

Basic Information

Type Public
Geographical Reach National
Population 550,000

Weather

Comfortable Days 90 (14%) muggy
Sunshine Hours 2,829 (78%)
Days Without Precipitation 255 (67%)

Honors College

Name Honors College
Students 850 (8%)

Demographics

Total Undergraduates 10,407
Men / Women 32% / 68%
From State 42%
From Region 6%
Athletes 399 (4.0%)

Racial/Ethnic

White 79%
Hispanic 8%
Black 5%
Mixed 4%
Asian 2%
International 1%
Native American 0%

Schools & Majors

⇅ Ranked Trends Degrees Male White Asian Black Hispanic Intl Earnings Earn % Earn z ROI Employment Debt-to-Earn Accept SAT p25 SAT p75
School of Business 718 52% 87% 2% 2% 5% 2% $77,198 65 -0.29 77 95%
Accounting 46 +2 41% 83% 2% 0% 7% 0% $87,418 55 +0.03 86 100% — — — —
Business Administration 244 +1 60% 86% 2% 1% 6% 2% $73,979 56 -0.19 72 95% — — — —
Commercial Real Estate Finance 51 +1 82% 92% 2% 2% 2% 0% $71,647 12 -1.01 69 — — — — —
Economics 33 +2 58% 79% 3% 0% 6% 9% $55,374 1 -1.60 29 91% — — — —
Finance 109 +7 65% 87% 0% 2% 5% 3% $98,209 55 -0.03 93 96% — — — —
Hospitality and Tourism Management 43 +2 21% 91% 0% 0% 5% 0% $64,668 73 +0.37 54 96% — — — —
International Business 49 +1 43% 84% 6% 4% 4% 0% $78,199 52 -0.24 78 93% — — — —
Marketing 119 +1 25% 93% 1% 0% 3% 0% $73,803 42 -0.29 72 96% — — — —
Supply Chain Management 24 — 58% 75% 0% 12% 4% 4% $73,979 12 -1.06 72 95% — — — —
⇅ Ranked Trends Degrees Male White Asian Black Hispanic Intl Earnings Earn % Earn z ROI Employment Debt-to-Earn Accept SAT p25 SAT p75
School of Education, Health, and Human Performance 309 19% 74% 2% 11% 7% 0% $54,590 3 -0.58 27 95% 6.7%
Exercise Science 84 — 37% 75% 1% 11% 8% 0% $60,762 48 -0.12 44 98% — — — —
Public Health 119 — 13% 66% 4% 13% 9% 0% $54,734 15 -0.97 28 95% — — — —
Early Childhood Education 27 — 0% 89% 4% 7% 0% 0% $49,993 34 -0.34 16 94% — — — —
Elementary Education 48 — 10% 83% 0% 10% 6% 0% $49,993 34 -0.34 16 94% — — — —
Middle Grades Education 6 — 33% 50% 0% 17% 0% 0% $49,993 34 -0.34 16 94% — — — —
Physical Education 4 — 50% 50% 0% 25% 25% 0% $50,903 18 -0.84 18 — — — — —
Secondary Education 7 +1 43% 100% 0% 0% 0% 0% $49,993 23 -0.60 16 94% — — — —
Special Education 12 — 8% 92% 0% 8% 0% 0% $45,671 4 -1.55 9 92% 6.7% — — —
Teacher Education 2 +1 0% 50% 0% 0% 50% 0% $49,993 23 -0.60 16 94% — — — —
⇅ Ranked Trends Degrees Male White Asian Black Hispanic Intl Earnings Earn % Earn z ROI Employment Debt-to-Earn Accept SAT p25 SAT p75
School of Humanities and Social Sciences 785 22% 84% 1% 4% 5% 1% $58,536 6 -0.07 38 93%
African American Studies — — — — — — — — $43,064 3 -1.29 6 94% — — — —
Archaeology 3 +3 0% 100% 0% 0% 0% 0% $53,436 39 -0.34 24 — — — — —
English 50 +4 20% 86% 0% 2% 4% 0% $45,462 16 -0.85 9 90% — — — —
History 39 +1 64% 90% 0% 3% 0% 0% $46,130 7 -1.05 10 95% — — — —
Interdisciplinary Studies 32 — 34% 66% 3% 22% 3% 0% $71,577 94 +1.37 68 90% — — — —
Jewish Studies 4 — 25% 75% 0% 0% 25% 0% $52,906 73 +0.26 23 — — — — —
Liberal Studies 39 — 41% 87% 0% 3% 8% 3% $59,887 72 +0.25 42 — — — — —
Philosophy 7 +3 43% 100% 0% 0% 0% 0% $55,035 35 -0.48 28 — — — — —
Religious Studies 10 +3 50% 90% 0% 10% 0% 0% $52,272 54 +0.18 21 — — — — —
Women's and Gender Studies 7 +1 0% 43% 0% 0% 14% 0% $43,064 1 -1.62 6 94% — — — —
Anthropology 20 — 15% 80% 5% 5% 5% 0% $51,721 34 -0.47 20 71% — — — —
Communication 220 +1 19% 87% 1% 2% 3% 0% $64,682 65 +0.26 54 97% — — — —
Historic Preservation and Community Planning 13 — 38% 85% 0% 8% 8% 0% $63,282 83 +0.58 50 97% — — — —
Political Science 87 +4 32% 79% 1% 6% 7% 5% $65,619 32 -0.49 56 94% — — — —
Psychology 215 +1 7% 83% 0% 3% 7% 1% $54,543 51 -0.08 27 92% — — — —
Sociology 35 — 14% 89% 0% 6% 6% 0% $54,268 46 -0.24 26 95% — — — —
Urban Studies 4 — 25% 100% 0% 0% 0% 0% $62,289 19 -0.66 48 — — — — —
⇅ Ranked Trends Degrees Male White Asian Black Hispanic Intl Earnings Earn % Earn z ROI Employment Debt-to-Earn Accept SAT p25 SAT p75
School of Languages, Cultures, and World Affairs 84 23% 70% 5% 7% 11% 0% $56,826 4 -0.51 33 88%
Classics 7 — 29% 86% 14% 0% 0% 0% $54,874 48 -0.20 28 — — — — —
French and Francophone Studies 5 +4 20% 100% 0% 0% 0% 0% $56,148 47 -0.25 31 93% — — — —
German — — — — — — — — $67,256 82 +0.82 60 — — — — —
German Studies 6 +7 17% 100% 0% 0% 0% 0% $46,957 7 -0.98 11 — — — — —
Spanish 24 +8 25% 46% 0% 12% 33% 0% $56,148 48 -0.17 31 93% — — — —
International Studies 42 +1 21% 74% 7% 7% 2% 0% $59,031 15 -0.71 39 85% — — — —
⇅ Ranked Trends Degrees Male White Asian Black Hispanic Intl Earnings Earn % Earn z ROI Employment Debt-to-Earn Accept SAT p25 SAT p75
School of Sciences and Mathematics 406 38% 76% 5% 6% 6% 1% $70,486 46 -0.53 66 92%
Electrical Engineering 4 — 100% 100% 0% 0% 0% 0% $100,673 13 -0.77 94 — — — — —
Systems Engineering (MechE) 6 — 33% 67% 0% 17% 0% 17% $95,928 34 -0.41 91 — — — — —
Computer Information Systems 22 — 55% 59% 9% 23% 9% 0% $100,172 64 +0.09 94 97% — — — —
Computer Science 58 +2 72% 74% 2% 5% 9% 2% $102,004 25 -0.67 94 95% — — — —
Computer Software Engineering 5 — 60% 60% 0% 0% 0% 0% $102,360 26 -0.66 95 — — — — —
Computing in the Arts 21 — 43% 67% 10% 14% 10% 0% $60,084 19 -0.91 42 86% — — — —
Data Science 11 +1 45% 55% 9% 0% 9% 9% $82,961 11 -1.28 83 — — — — —
Astrophysics 5 — 40% 80% 0% 20% 0% 0% $72,724 17 -0.78 70 — — — — —
Chemistry 13 +4 46% 77% 0% 0% 15% 0% $58,979 6 -1.22 39 80% — — — —
Geology 20 — 50% 85% 5% 0% 5% 0% $53,278 8 -1.06 24 91% — — — —
Mathematics 4 +1 25% 50% 0% 0% 25% 0% $53,283 1 -1.21 24 100% — — — —
Meteorology 4 — 75% 100% 0% 0% 0% 0% $57,704 20 -0.66 36 — — — — —
Physics 3 +3 100% 100% 0% 0% 0% 0% $72,627 17 -0.79 70 — — — — —
Statistics 2 — 50% 100% 0% 0% 0% 0% $79,284 11 -0.93 79 — — — — —
Biochemistry 16 +2 38% 62% 31% 6% 0% 0% $58,979 8 -1.11 39 80% — — — —
Biology 146 +3 23% 77% 6% 7% 5% 1% $65,272 44 -0.14 56 91% — — — —
Environmental Geosciences 16 — 6% 88% 0% 0% 0% 0% $53,278 23 -0.67 24 91% — — — —
Marine Biology 37 — 22% 84% 3% 3% 5% 0% $45,900 11 -0.96 10 100% — — — —
Environmental and Sustainability Studies — — — — — — — — $58,263 40 -0.29 37 — — — — —
Sustainability Studies 13 +4 15% 85% 0% 0% 8% 0% $60,981 50 -0.01 45 — — — — —
⇅ Ranked Trends Degrees Male White Asian Black Hispanic Intl Earnings Earn % Earn z ROI Employment Debt-to-Earn Accept SAT p25 SAT p75
School of the Arts 145 23% 78% 1% 4% 8% 0% $48,348 1 +0.02 13 95%
Art History 11 +2 9% 82% 0% 0% 18% 0% $49,971 53 -0.14 16 96% — — — —
Arts Management 50 +5 18% 86% 0% 0% 4% 0% $53,352 69 +0.12 24 96% — — — —
Dance 11 +1 0% 82% 0% 0% 18% 0% $43,016 50 -0.01 6 — — — — —
Music 12 — 67% 67% 8% 8% 8% 0% $46,832 49 +0.01 11 — — — — —
Studio Art 32 +2 28% 75% 3% 6% 6% 0% $49,971 67 +0.34 16 96% — — — —
Theatre 29 +1 24% 69% 0% 10% 10% 0% $39,964 32 -0.42 4 93% — — — —

Financial

In-State Tuition & Fees $13,635
Out-of-State Tuition & Fees $40,742
Est. In-State Cost $17,638
Est. Out-of-State Cost $52,704
ROI Percentile 55th

Retention & Graduation

Full-Time Retention 82%
4-Year Graduation Rate 57%
6-Year Graduation Rate 66%
Transfer-Out Rate 25%

Earnings by Major Category

Each major category's degree-weighted estimated median 5-year earnings at this college, expressed as a z-score against the national degree-weighted distribution for that category. 0 is the national average. The shaded band between +1.28 and −1.28 marks the central 80% of the national distribution (10th–90th percentile).

Academics

⇅ % Degrees Male White Asian Black Hispanic Intl Earnings Earn % Earn z ROI Employment Debt-to-Earn
Business & Economics 29.3% 718 52% 87% 2% 2% 5% 2% $77,199 46 -0.29 77 95% —
Social Sciences 26.4% 645 17% 84% 1% 4% 5% 1% $59,991 56 -0.06 42 93% —
Humanities 9.5% 233 35% 80% 1% 6% 7% 0% $53,964 46 -0.24 26 92% —
Health Sciences 8.3% 203 23% 69% 3% 12% 9% 0% $57,228 2 -0.62 34 96% —
Life & Natural Sciences 6.6% 162 24% 76% 9% 7% 5% 1% $64,650 34 -0.23 54 90% —
Arts 6.1% 149 23% 79% 1% 4% 8% 0% $48,722 38 +0.00 14 95% —
Computer Science 4.8% 117 61% 68% 5% 9% 9% 2% $92,360 20 -0.63 90 93% —
Education 4.3% 106 12% 83% 1% 9% 5% 0% $49,538 22 -0.52 15 94% 6.7%
Agriculture & Food Science 2.2% 53 17% 85% 2% 2% 4% 0% $48,127 6 -0.87 13 97% —
Physical Sciences & Math 2.1% 51 51% 82% 2% 2% 8% 0% $59,143 4 -1.03 40 88% —
Engineering 0.4% 10 60% 80% 0% 10% 0% 10% $97,826 31 -0.56 92 — —

Research R3

⇅ Research $ Rank Federal Industry $ PhDs Rank PhD students Postdocs
Physical Sciences & Math $4.6M #223 78% $0 — — 1 —
Life & Natural Sciences $1.1M #312 82% $0 — — — —
Engineering $0.9M #280 43% $0.1M — — — —
Humanities & Social Sciences $0.9M #329 32% $0 — — — —
Business & Economics $0.3M #269 38% $0 — — — —
Computer Science $0.3M #324 94% $0.0M — — — —
Education $0.2M #354 36% $0 — — — —
Agriculture & Food Science $0.1M #236 100% $0 — — — —
Health Sciences $0.0M #403 0% $0 — — — —
Total $8.3M #321 68% $0.1M — — 1 —

Expenditure and funding source: NSF HERD, FY2024. Degrees: IPEDS completions, 2023–24. Students and postdocs: NSF Survey of Graduate Students and Postdoctorates, fall 2024, which covers science, engineering and selected health fields only. An em dash means the source does not report the figure, which is not the same as zero.

Sports NCAA D1

⇅ Athletes ▼ Revenue Expenses Net
Baseball 52 $1.8M $1.8M $0
Sailing 39 $217K $217K $0
Soccer 31 $916K $916K $0
Basketball 16 $5.4M $5.4M $0
Cross Country 15 $143K $143K $0
Tennis 12 $359K $359K $0
Golf 9 $613K $613K $0
Total 174 $9.4M $9.4M $0
⇅ Athletes ▼ Revenue Expenses Net
Sailing 85 $602K $602K $0
Track & Field (outdoor) 34 $160K $160K $0
Track & Field (indoor) 33 $160K $160K $0
Equestrian 31 $633K $633K $0
Basketball 30 $2.4M $2.4M $0
Soccer 28 $999K $999K $0
Softball 27 $1.1M $1.1M $0
Beach Volleyball 21 $214K $214K $0
Volleyball 19 $1.1M $1.1M $0
Cross Country 13 $160K $160K $0
Golf 10 $724K $724K $0
Tennis 10 $557K $557K $0
Total 225 $8.8M $8.8M $0
⇅ Athletes ▼ Revenue Expenses Net
Sailing 124 $820K $820K $0
Soccer 59 $1.9M $1.9M $0
Baseball 52 $1.8M $1.8M $0
Basketball 46 $7.8M $7.8M $0
Track & Field (outdoor) 34 $160K $160K $0
Track & Field (indoor) 33 $160K $160K $0
Equestrian 31 $633K $633K $0
Cross Country 28 $304K $304K $0
Softball 27 $1.1M $1.1M $0
Tennis 22 $917K $917K $0
Beach Volleyball 21 $214K $214K $0
Golf 19 $1.3M $1.3M $0
Volleyball 19 $1.1M $1.1M $0
Total 399 $25.5M $25.5M $0

Source: U.S. Department of Education, Equity in Athletics Data Analysis. Each team's revenue and expenses are what the college attributes to it. The Total view's totals row is the department's grand total, which also includes money not attributed to any team; the Male and Female totals rows only add up their teams.

Admissions

Uses Common App Yes
Acceptance Rate 72%
Yield (non-ED) 12%
Regular Decision Jan 1

Acceptance Rates

In-State Out-of-State International
Regular Decision 72% 72% 72%

This college’s Common Data Set does not break down admissions by applicant demographics, so in-state, out-of-state, and international applicants share one Regular Decision rate.

Standardized Tests

Test Policy optional
Submitted Test Scores 29%
SAT Range 1140 – 1310
SAT Math Range 550 – 640
SAT RW Range 590 – 670