College of Charleston (Charleston, SC) — Cost, Earnings & Admissions

Stats

College Scorecard figures, each with where this school sits nationally among institutions that report the same measure. A dash means the school does not report it.

Cost

Average net price: $19,5181,036th cheapest of 1,985 reporting
In-state tuition & fees: $12,978839th cheapest of 2,042 reporting
Out-of-state tuition & fees: $36,8581,508th cheapest of 2,042 reporting
Cost of attendance: $30,731967th cheapest of 1,985 reporting
Median graduate debt: $23,2501,040th lowest of 1,880 reporting

Outcomes

Median earnings, 10 years after entry: $56,416712th highest of 1,969 reporting
Median earnings, 6 years after entry: $43,821957th highest of 1,964 reporting
Graduation rate (4-year): 65.0%592nd highest of 2,031 reporting
Full-time retention: 82.3%560th highest of 1,853 reporting

Admissions

Acceptance rate: 72.0%666th most selective of 1,608 reporting
Average SAT: 1238308th highest of 1,024 reporting
Median ACT: 26270th highest of 954 reporting

Campus

Undergraduates: 10,366247th largest of 2,162 reporting
Student-faculty ratio: 16.0:11,471st smallest of 2,159 reporting
Pell Grant share: 19.5%1,742nd highest of 2,140 reporting

Nearest large-hub airport: 177 mi (CLT)

On 1 of our 111 lists

Every published ranking this school appears on, with its rank there.

Most Selective Colleges in South Carolina#14

Applying

EDNov 1
ED IIJan 15
EANov 1
RDApr 15

Common App member: Yes
Application fee: $60
Personal essay: Optional / not required
Writing supplement: No

Deadlines and essay flags come from the Common App Requirements Grid, joined by school name. Always confirm against the school’s own admissions page before applying.

Best-paying fields of study

Median earnings one and two years after graduating, by field. Showing 12 of 51 reported programs.

Field	Level	1 yr	2 yr
Computer and Information Sciences, GeneralComputer Science	bachelors	$60,358	$65,238
Finance and Financial Management ServicesBusiness	bachelors	$50,856	$52,941
Accounting and Related ServicesBusiness	bachelors	$45,794	$43,519
International BusinessBusiness	bachelors	$42,682	$42,930
MarketingBusiness	bachelors	$40,896	$43,000
EconomicsSocial Sciences	bachelors	$40,647	$41,937
Business Administration, Management and OperationsBusiness	bachelors	$40,454	$40,688
Communication and Media StudiesCommunications	bachelors	$38,289	$36,460
Hospitality Administration/ManagementBusiness	bachelors	$38,072	$39,009
Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, OtherMultidisciplinary Studies	bachelors	$36,674	—
Special Education and TeachingEducation	bachelors	$35,861	$33,828
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsEducation	bachelors	$34,596	$33,738

Campus facts

Founded in 1770source
Athletic nickname: "Cougars"source
Competes in NCAA Division Isource
School colors: Maroon and Whitesource
Mascot: Cougarsource
Motto: "Sapientia Ipsa Libertas (Latin) / Ædes Mores Juraque Curat (Latin)"source
Athletic conference: CAAsource
A [[National Sea Grant College Program institutionsource
A Sea-grant]] institutionsource
A [[National Space Grant College and Fellowship Program institutionsource
A Space-grant]]}} institutionsource
Notable alum: John C. Frémontsource
Notable alum: Orlando Jonessource
Notable alum: Thomas Gibsonsource
Notable alum: Matt Czuchrysource
Notable alum: Erick Avarisource

Athletics — 13 sports

NCAA Division I without football · NCAA Division I

Athletic scholarships allowed · Athletic aid $5,949,003 (M $2,341,673 · W $3,607,330 · Coed $0)

Self-reported EADA participants (2024-2025). Athletic aid is institution-level, not per sport.