10-yr median earnings
$56,416
Federal aid recipients only
Public · Charleston, South Carolina
College of Charleston
College of Charleston is a public institution in Charleston, South Carolina. as a public institution, published Scorecard outcomes are the federal Title-IV cohort view of former students — not every graduate and not a guarantee for any one enrollee.
- $18,960
- Avg net price / yr
- $56,416
- 10-yr median earnings
- 65.4%
- 150%-time completion
- 60.0%
- Acceptance rate
The verdict
College of Charleston pairs top-quartile former-student earnings with a moderately open admit.
According to the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard.
- Top 20%
- former-student earnings, US
- 60.0%
- acceptance rate
- 65.4%
- 150%-time completion
- +29%
- earnings, 6→10 yrs
City: Midsize
Carnegie: Master's (M)
Institution data retrieved July 2026; field-of-study data retrieved March 2026.
How to read this College of Charleston profile
Figures above come from IPEDS institution records published through the College Scorecard (retrieved July 2026 for institution fields; March 2026 for field-of-study). Peer groups and cost cohorts follow IPEDS ownership sector, Carnegie class ("Master's Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs"), and locale, not an editorial shortlist.
Average net price subtracts grant and scholarship aid from cost of attendance for full-time, first-time undergraduate Title IV recipients. It is a defined cohort average, not a personalized price; income-band fields add context but do not replace the school's current net-price calculator.
Earnings use Treasury-linked records for federally aided former students who were working and not enrolled in the measurement year (completers and noncompleters). IPEDS completion and retention use separate first-time, full-time cohorts, so those denominators are not the earnings cohort. Read cost, completion, and earnings as distinct historical measures, not a causal verdict or individual forecast.
College Value Score
C
College Value Score
58/100
College of Charleston
A 6-metric composite of earnings, cost, and completion outcomes benchmarked against every reporting US college, not a ranking of teaching quality, campus life, or fit for any individual student. See the full methodology.
Earnings B+
$56,416
10-year median former-student earnings
Net Price D
$18,960
Average annual cost after grants and aid
Completion Rate C+
65.4%
Completion within 150% of normal time
Debt F
$23,250
Median federal debt at graduation
Loan Repayment B-
68.0%
Borrowers repaying loans within 3 years
Retention B-
82.0%
First-year students returning for year two
Each axis is the percentile score shown in the breakdown at left; the shape shows this school's overall profile at a glance.
Avg net price
$18,960
After grants and scholarships
150%-time completion
65.4%
Full-time, first-time cohort
150%-time completion vs portal median (57.1%) 65.4%
Four-year-institution cohort
College ROI Quadrant - College of Charleston vs peers
Each dot is a college plotted by 10-year median earnings (x-axis) vs average net price (y-axis), colored by completion within 150% of normal time. Bottom-right = high earnings/lower price; top-left = lower earnings/higher price.
How College of Charleston ranks nationally
Where this school's former-student earnings fall within the full national distribution of every US college that reports to the College Scorecard, not just its peer set.
College of Charleston: former-student earnings vs. every US college
10-year median earnings, College Scorecard
$56,416 Top 20% higher than 80% of 5,103 US colleges
Each bar is a $20K-wide band; taller bars hold more US colleges. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard · Mar–Jul 2026 retrievals
| Metric | College of Charleston | National rank | Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-yr median earnings | $56,416 | #999 of 5103 | 80th |
| Average net price | $18,960 | #2878 of 5020 | 43rd (lower is better) |
| 150%-time completion | 65.4% | #1781 of 4858 | 63rd |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 10,558 | #322 of 5462 | 94th |
National ranks count every operating US college reporting each metric to the College Scorecard, separate from the earnings histogram above.
Quick Facts
10,558
Undergraduate enrollment
60.0%
Acceptance rate
1,247
SAT average
65.4%
150%-time completion
$56,416
10-yr median earnings
82.0%
First-year retention
How College of Charleston ranks in South Carolina
State rank among 78 reporting South Carolina colleges with College Scorecard data, a separate lens from the national distribution above.
| Metric | College of Charleston | State rank | Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-yr median earnings | $56,416 | #9 of 78 | 88th |
| Average net price | $18,960 | #56 of 82 | 32nd (lower is better) |
| 150%-time completion | 65.4% | #20 of 77 | 74th |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 10,558 | #3 of 83 | 96th |
Highest former-student earnings in South Carolina
| # | School | 10-yr earnings | Net price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Medical University of South Carolina | $88,420 | - |
| 2 | Citadel Military College of South Carolina | $72,085 | $20,723 |
| 3 | Clemson University | $71,513 | $22,253 |
| 4 | Wofford College | $68,964 | $18,732 |
| 5 | Furman University | $68,635 | $30,308 |
| 6 | University of South Carolina-Columbia | $62,177 | $22,811 |
| 7 | Galen Health Institutes-Myrtle Beach | $61,480 | $25,662 |
| 8 | Presbyterian College | $60,194 | $20,528 |
| 9 | College of CharlestonThis school | $56,416 | $18,960 |
| 10 | Erskine College | $53,459 | $16,525 |
| 11 | University of South Carolina-Upstate | $48,587 | $13,557 |
| 12 | University of South Carolina Beaufort | $48,088 | $14,656 |
Admissions
| Admission Rate | 60.0% |
| SAT Average | 1,247 |
| SAT Math (25th-75th) | 550 – 640 |
| SAT Reading (25th-75th) | 590 – 670 |
| ACT Average | 26 |
| ACT (25th-75th) | 25 – 30 |
Costs & Financial Aid
Net price by family income at College of Charleston
Average annual net price after grants; Title IV recipient cohort by income bracket
- $0 – $30k
$0 – $30k
$12,133 net price / yr
- $30k – $48k
$30k – $48k
$13,406 net price / yr
- $48k – $75k
$48k – $75k
$16,797 net price / yr
- $110k+
$110k+
$24,996 net price / yr
What this shows Need-based aid pulls net price down at lower brackets at College of Charleston - compare the bar for your income band, not the overall average alone.
Tuition & Net Price
| In-State Tuition | $12,978 |
| Out-of-State Tuition | $38,296 |
| Average Net Price | $18,960 |
18.8%
Pell Grant Rate
38.0%
Federal Loan Rate
$23,250
Median Debt
$246/mo
Monthly Payment
2013–2023: what College of Charleston costs has stayed close to flat
Average net price moved +22.6% over 10 years, from $15,915 to $19,518 in nominal dollars. The median college measured over the same span moved +14.6%.
11 reported years. Nominal dollars, not adjusted for inflation.
2013 · $15,9152023 · $19,518
Over the same years, enrollment went +2.1% (10,150 → 10,366 students).
Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, per-year fields (2013–2023). Net price is the average cost after grant and scholarship aid for federally-aided undergraduates.
Student Demographics
Race & ethnicity
Student body at a glance
65.8%
Female
20.1%
First Generation
Outcomes
82.0%
Retention Rate
$43,821
Median Earnings (6yr)
67.0%
Earning Over $25K
68.0%
Loan Repayment, Completers (3yr)
Outcomes & debt snapshot
| Measure | Cohort / horizon | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Completion within 150% of normal time | First-time, full-time | 65.4% |
| First-year retention | First-time, full-time freshmen | 82.0% |
| Median earnings | 6 years after entry | $43,821 |
| Median earnings | 10 years after entry | $56,416 |
| Share earning over $25,000 | Working, not enrolled | 67.0% |
| Loan repayment rate | Completers, 3 years after leaving | 68.0% |
| Median federal student debt | At completion | $23,250 |
| Estimated monthly payment | Standard 10-year plan | $246/mo |
Programs & Earnings
Field-of-study summary by credential
| Credential | Programs | Award count | Avg earnings | Top earnings | Avg debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's | 37 | 2,007 | $60,284 | $98,059 | $23,240 |
| Master's | 8 | 157 | $75,765 | $98,747 | $32,370 |
Top programs at College of Charleston by completer earnings
Median earnings of program completers, College Scorecard field-of-study file
- Accounting and Related Ser…
Accounting and Related Services
$98,747 median earnings
- Computer and Information S…
Computer and Information Sciences, General
$98,059 median earnings
- Business Administration, M…
Business Administration, Management and Operations
$97,539 median earnings
- Information Science/Studies
Information Science/Studies
$93,285 median earnings
- Accounting and Related Ser…
Accounting and Related Services
$85,826 median earnings
- Finance and Financial Mana…
Finance and Financial Management Services
$84,187 median earnings
- Natural Resources Conserva…
Natural Resources Conservation and Research
$79,857 median earnings
- International Business
International Business
$76,727 median earnings
What this shows The highest-earning programs at a school are not necessarily its most popular ones - a small specialized program can post strong median earnings without reflecting the outcome most students here actually see.
Nearby Schools
Medical University of South Carolina
Charleston, SC
303 students
Charleston School of Law
Charleston, SC
Top of the Line Barber College
Charleston, SC
45 students
American College of the Building Arts
Charleston, SC
155 students
Citadel Military College of South Carolina
Charleston, SC
2,705 students
Explore Data-Matched Colleges
Matches use Scorecard measures among reporting colleges — not state-system recommendations or geographic proximity.
Similar Enrollment and Sector
Other Public institutions closest in reported enrollment, preferring the same Carnegie classification.
University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez
Mayaguez, PR
9,539 students · 1,019 apart
University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire
Eau Claire, WI
8,895 students · 1,663 apart
University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point
Stevens Point, WI
7,306 students · 3,252 apart
Thomas Edison State University
Trenton, NJ
6,707 students · 3,851 apart
Similar Reported Net Price
Other Public institutions with the nearest reported average net price.
SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry
Syracuse, NY
$18,952 net price · $8 apart
The University of Tennessee-Knoxville
Knoxville, TN
$18,976 net price · $16 apart
San Bernardino Valley College
San Bernardino, CA
$18,943 net price · $17 apart
Palo Verde College
Blythe, CA
$18,993 net price · $33 apart
Similar 2013–2023 Net-Price Trend
Same-sector institutions with the same direction and nearest fitted annual change; only series with R² of at least 0.40 qualify.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the acceptance rate at College of Charleston? ▼
College of Charleston is a public institution in Charleston, South Carolina. The acceptance rate is 60.0%. The average SAT score is 1,247. Undergraduate enrollment is 10,558 students.
How much do College of Charleston former students earn? ▼
Federally aided former students at College of Charleston who were working and not enrolled had median earnings of $56,416 ten years after entry; the cohort is not limited to graduates. Six years after entry, the corresponding median is $43,821.
How much does College of Charleston cost? ▼
The average net price at College of Charleston is $18,960. In-state tuition is $12,978 and out-of-state tuition is $38,296. Median student debt at graduation is $23,250.
What is the graduation rate at College of Charleston? ▼
College of Charleston has a 65.4% completion rate within 150% of normal time at a four-year institution (typically six years for a bachelor’s program). The first-year retention rate is 82.0%.
Is College of Charleston worth the student debt? ▼
The median student debt at College of Charleston is $23,250, while former students earn a median of $56,416 ten years after enrollment. That debt represents about 41% of those annual earnings. Among borrowers who completed their program, 68.0% are repaying their loans within 3 years. Estimated monthly loan payment is $246.
Sources & methodology
Public-college profiles lean on IPEDS enrollment and Scorecard Title-IV outcomes. State appropriations are outside this page; the figures below are the federal cohort measures only.
Every number is read live from the Mar–Jul 2026 Scorecard/IPEDS retrievals. Public institutions often enroll large Title-IV cohorts, so medians can be stable — still cohort averages, never a personal forecast. Read the full methodology for how the data is sourced, computed, and verified.
- College Scorecard, U.S. Department of Education - former-student earnings, cost & completion (collegescorecard.ed.gov).
- IPEDS, National Center for Education Statistics - enrollment, admissions, Carnegie class & demographics (nces.ed.gov/ipeds).
- U.S. Treasury / IRS earnings linkage - median earnings 6 & 10 years after enrollment for federal-aid recipients (irs.gov).
- College Scorecard, Field of Study - program-level (credential) earnings & debt (collegescorecard.ed.gov).
- Federal Student Aid (Title IV / NSLDS) - U.S. Department of Education - net price, student debt & aid-recipient repayment outcomes (studentaid.gov).
Where to go next from College of Charleston
- Compare College of Charleston against schools with similar outcomes at a lower average net price.Find similar schools that cost less
- Browse every reporting college in South Carolina side by side.Browse South Carolina
- See how fields of study differ on former-student earnings and debt.Explore programs
Public-college Scorecard figures are historical Title-IV cohort averages — confirm current tuition, aid, and admissions rules with the institution before deciding.
Every figure on PlainCollege is rendered directly from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard data, no number is typed in by an editor. Public-institution profiles compile Scorecard Title-IV earnings, IPEDS enrollment/admissions, and Treasury linkage fields — no editor-typed figures. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error on this page. Review the public data changelog. Data current as of Mar–Jul 2026 retrievals.