Basic Information

Type Public
Geographical Reach National
Location Charleston, SC
Population 550,000
Map of the United States

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 4.5%

Racial/Ethnic

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

Schools & Majors

Trends Degrees Male/Female Intl Earnings ROI Employment
School of Business 718 52% / 48% 2% $69,503 72 94%
Accounting 46 +2 41% / 59% 0% $76,185 81 97%
Business Administration 244 +1 60% / 40% 2% $63,216 60 95%
Commercial Real Estate Finance 51 +1 82% / 18% 0% $77,550 82
Economics 33 +2 58% / 42% 9% $55,377 39 91%
Finance 109 +7 65% / 35% 3% $89,713 91 92%
Hospitality and Tourism Management 43 +2 21% / 79% 0% $54,323 35 96%
International Business 49 +1 43% / 57% 0% $79,632 84 92%
Marketing 119 +1 25% / 75% 0% $64,352 62 95%
Supply Chain Management 24 58% / 42% 4% $63,216 60 95%
Trends Degrees Male/Female Intl Earnings ROI Employment
School of Education, Health, and Human Performance 309 19% / 81% 0% $51,753 28 97%
Exercise Science 84 37% / 63% 0% $54,801 37 98%
Public Health 119 13% / 87% 0% $55,003 37 97%
Early Childhood Education 27 0% / 100% 0% $45,747 13 95%
Elementary Education 48 10% / 90% 0% $45,747 13 95%
Middle Grades Education 6 33% / 67% 0% $45,747 13 95%
Physical Education 4 50% / 50% 0% $46,884 15
Secondary Education 7 +1 43% / 57% 0% $45,747 13 95%
Special Education 12 8% / 92% 0% $44,873 12 100%
Teacher Education 2 +1 0% / 100% 0% $45,747 13 95%
Trends Degrees Male/Female Intl Earnings ROI Employment
School of Humanities and Social Sciences 785 22% / 78% 1% $52,483 30 95%
African American Studies $43,067 9 94%
Anthropology 20 15% / 85% 0% $40,942 7 92%
Archaeology 3 +3 0% / 100% 0% $45,660 13
Communication 220 +1 19% / 81% 0% $57,341 44 98%
English 50 +4 20% / 80% 0% $46,468 15 93%
Historic Preservation and Community Planning 13 38% / 62% 0% $52,470 30 97%
History 39 +1 64% / 36% 0% $46,191 14 94%
Interdisciplinary Studies 32 34% / 66% 0% $66,886 67 90%
Jewish/Judaic Studies 4 25% / 75% 0% $50,247 23
Liberal Studies 39 41% / 59% 3% $50,503 24
Philosophy 7 +3 43% / 57% 0% $48,794 20
Political Science 87 +4 32% / 68% 5% $56,026 41 93%
Psychology 215 +1 7% / 93% 1% $49,216 21 95%
Religious Studies 10 +3 50% / 50% 0% $49,790 22
Sociology 35 14% / 86% 0% $48,134 18 93%
Women's and Gender Studies 7 +1 0% / 100% 0% $43,067 9 94%
Urban Studies 4 25% / 75% 0% $57,288 44
Trends Degrees Male/Female Intl Earnings ROI Employment
School of Languages, Cultures, and World Affairs 84 23% / 77% 0% $50,988 25 89%
Classics 7 29% / 71% 0% $52,248 29
French and Francophone Studies 5 +4 20% / 80% 0% $53,991 34 94%
German $54,323 35
German Studies 6 +7 17% / 83% 0% $44,763 12
International Studies 42 +1 21% / 79% 0% $49,595 22 85%
Spanish 24 +8 25% / 75% 0% $53,991 34 94%
Trends Degrees Male/Female Intl Earnings ROI Employment
School of Sciences and Mathematics 406 38% / 62% 1% $70,091 73 91%
Electrical Engineering 4 100% / 0% 0% $97,912 95
Systems Engineering (MechE) 6 33% / 67% 17% $91,177 92
Computer Information Systems 22 55% / 45% 0% $92,717 93 100%
Computer Science 58 +2 72% / 28% 2% $112,025 98 92%
Computer Software Engineering 5 60% / 40% 0%
Computing in the Arts 21 43% / 57% 0% $52,276 29 90%
Data Science 11 +1 45% / 55% 9% $75,081 80
Astrophysics 5 40% / 60% 0% $67,408 68
Chemistry 13 +4 46% / 54% 0% $58,981 49 80%
Geology 20 50% / 50% 0% $60,426 53 100%
Mathematics 4 +1 25% / 75% 0% $54,640 36 100%
Meteorology 4 75% / 25% 0% $60,303 53
Physics 3 +3 100% / 0% 0% $67,802 69
Statistics 2 50% / 50% 0%
Biochemistry 16 +2 38% / 62% 0% $58,981 49 80%
Biology 146 +3 23% / 77% 1% $61,863 57 92%
Environmental Geosciences 16 6% / 94% 0% $60,426 53 100%
Marine Biology 37 22% / 78% 0% $46,962 16 80%
Environmental and Sustainability Studies $51,165 26
Sustainability Studies 13 +4 15% / 85% 0%
Trends Degrees Male/Female Intl Earnings ROI Employment
School of the Arts 145 23% / 77% 0% $41,921 8 92%
Art History 11 +2 9% / 91% 0% $38,568 5 88%
Arts Management 50 +5 18% / 82% 0% $46,420 14 96%
Dance 11 +1 0% / 100% 0% $38,233 5
Music 12 67% / 33% 0% $42,989 9
Studio Art 32 +2 28% / 72% 0% $38,568 5 88%
Theatre 29 +1 24% / 76% 0% $40,097 6 92%

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 51th

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/Female Intl Earnings ROI Employment
Humanities & Social Sciences 35.9% 878 22% / 78% 1% $52,316 29 95%
Business & Economics 29.3% 718 52% / 48% 2% $69,503 72 94%
Health Sciences 8.3% 203 23% / 77% 0% $54,919 37 97%
Life & Natural Sciences 6.6% 162 24% / 76% 1% $61,578 56 90%
Arts 6.1% 149 23% / 77% 0% $42,334 9 92%
Computer Science 4.8% 117 61% / 39% 2% $93,401 93 94%
Education 4.3% 106 12% / 88% 0% $45,691 13 95%
Agriculture & Food Science 2.2% 53 17% / 83% 0% $51,027 26 86%
Physical Sciences & Math 2.1% 51 51% / 49% 0% $60,724 54 93%
Engineering 0.4% 10 60% / 40% 10% $93,871 94

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.

Admissions

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

Acceptance Rates

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

Standardized Tests

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