Charleston Southern University — admissions, outcomes, merit aid & scholarships

🎯 Parent/student verdict

Likely

Accessible for most applicants.

✅ Best for

Students drawn to Health Professions or Business, Management, & Marketing (the two biggest majors)
Families wanting a small undergraduate experience

🎯 The reality

Bottom-quartile academic profile if: SAT below 950, or ACT below 17 (admitted-class quartiles; GPA floor is a calibrated heuristic where CDS not yet on file)

Verdict is composed from this college's structured data (admit rate, SAT bands, net price by income, Carnegie classification, scholarship grids) using transparent rule thresholds — not a chat-bot's opinion.

🏛️ Institutional snapshot

What kind of college is this?

Carnegie classification

M2: Master's - Medium Programs

Total enrollment

2,893

1,000 - 4,999

In-state tuition

$32,520

sticker, before aid

Tuition

$32,520

flat rate (no in/out-of-state split)

Admit rate

76.1%

Accessible

SAT middle 50%

950–1160

EBRW + Math composite

ACT middle 50%

17–24

composite

Test policy

Test-optional

2023

10-yr earnings

$45,898

median, after entry

Source: federal IPEDS Admissions 2023 for scores + admit rate; federal College Scorecard (20260606 vintage) for earnings + outcomes. SAT/ACT bands are the 25th–75th percentile of enrolled submitters.

📊 Outcomes & cost

What graduates actually earn, finish, and owe.

Federal College Scorecard data. Earnings are median annual income measured years after entering. Debt is for federal-aid borrowers only (cash-pay students aren't counted).

Earnings, 6 yrs after entry

$40,606

Earnings, 10 yrs after entry

$45,898

4-year completion

47%

Median debt (completers)

$26,471

Cost of attendance

$44,558

sticker price, not net

Pell-eligible students

34%

💰 True ROI

5.3× return

What families actually pay (after aid) vs. the sticker — and how 10-yr earnings stack against the real cost. Most sites quote sticker; we quote what families really pay.

What families actually pay (4 yrs)

$86,664

$21,666/yr avg net

Aid that hides behind the sticker

$91,568

vs sticker $178,232

10-yr earnings total

$458,980

$45,898/yr median, 10 yrs out

Years to recoup actual cost

1.9 yrs

at the median earnings rate

"True ROI" = (10-yr median earnings × 10) ÷ (actual 4-yr net price). The actual net is from Scorecard (average across all families); your family's net price will vary by income — see the breakdown above. Earnings are 10 years after enrollment (Scorecard PP-FOS, all majors combined).

💰 What families actually pay

Net price by family income

Net price = sticker price minus grant aid. This is what families actually pay out-of-pocket after scholarships and need-based aid — the most honest affordability signal there is. At Charleston Southern University, the average net price is $21,666/yr across all families.

Family income $0-30k

$20,145/yr

Family income $30-48k

$23,024/yr

Family income $48-75k

$20,697/yr

Family income $75-110k

$21,648/yr

Family income $110k+

$23,226/yr

🔎 Earning over $110K? The federal brackets above lump every family from $110K to $1M+ into one row.

Need-based aid usually phases out somewhere between $200K and $300K at private colleges — but the exact threshold varies a lot. For a precise estimate based on your family's actual income, assets, and your student's academic profile, use Charleston Southern University's official Net Price Calculator:

Get your family's estimate from Charleston Southern University →

Opens on Charleston Southern University's site. Takes about 10–15 minutes; have your most recent tax return handy.

Source: College Scorecard (NPT41-NPT45). Net price = total cost of attendance minus federal, state, institutional, and other grants. Some brackets may be suppressed for student-privacy reasons (small cohorts). Title IV first-time, full-time undergraduates only. The $110K+ ceiling is a federal data limitation — Department of Education hasn't refreshed these brackets since the early 2010s.

📚 What students study here

Most popular majors at Charleston Southern University

Top 5 fields of study by bachelor's degrees awarded (most recent IPEDS Completions). Use this to see what Charleston Southern University actually graduates — not just what it markets.

1. Health Professions

124 degrees · 38.6%

Typical career outcomes

Registered Nurse $86k Physician Assistant $130k Pharmacist $136k Physical Therapist (post-DPT) $100k

Highest-paying group on this list, but most careers require additional training beyond a 4-year degree.

2. Business, Management, & Marketing

82 degrees · 25.5%

Typical career outcomes

Financial Analyst $100k Management Analyst (Consultant) $99k Marketing Manager $158k Accountant / Auditor $80k

Broad set of corporate roles. Finance + consulting pay top, accounting + HR pay middle, sales spread is wide.

3. Biological & Biomedical Sciences

43 degrees · 13.4%

Typical career outcomes

Biological Scientist $87k Medical & Clinical Lab Tech $61k Pharmaceutical Rep $82k Physician (post-MD) $239k

Many bio majors → med school / grad school. Direct-employment bio roles are lower-paid than that pipeline.

4. Education

42 degrees · 13.1%

Typical career outcomes

Elementary School Teacher $64k Secondary School Teacher $65k School Principal $101k Special Education Teacher $66k

Teaching is the largest path. Salary depends heavily on district + state.

5. Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, & Firefighting

30 degrees · 9.3%

Typical career outcomes

Police Officer $72k Federal Special Agent $102k Detective / Investigator $91k

Public-sector careers in law enforcement, corrections, security. Strong pensions, modest base.

Source: IPEDS Completions (C2023_a), bachelor's-level first majors aggregated to 2-digit CIP family. Share is of these top 5 only — not all majors.

💼 Top programs by earnings

Highest-earning majors at Charleston Southern University

Median earnings 4 years after entry, by major (CIP code). From the federal College Scorecard program-level outcomes.

Major (CIP)	Credential	Cohort	1-yr earnings	4-yr earnings
Computer Science.	Bachelor's Degree	14	—	$97,290
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing.	Bachelor's Degree	90	$66,310	$75,175
Business Administration, Management and Operations.	Bachelor's Degree	35	$64,920	$69,117
Accounting and Related Services.	Bachelor's Degree	11	—	$58,600
Human Resources Management and Services.	Bachelor's Degree	14	—	$57,482
Health and Medical Administrative Services.	Bachelor's Degree	9	—	$57,253
Marketing.	Bachelor's Degree	19	—	$57,179
Criminal Justice and Corrections.	Bachelor's Degree	25	$33,633	$53,162
Communication and Media Studies.	Bachelor's Degree	18	$33,518	$50,824
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas.	Bachelor's Degree	15	$40,612	$48,154

For full college-vs-major comparison + ROI leaderboards, see /college-outcomes →

🤖 AI program signal

AI + computing education at Charleston Southern University

CS degrees (annual)

15

CIP 11.0701 + 11.0101

Full multi-lens comparison: /ai-colleges →

⚖️ Compare side-by-side

Charleston Southern University vs. another college

Type the college you want to compare against. We'll show admit rates, net price by your family income, top majors with career outcomes, and merit aid — all in one side-by-side view.

Alternatives to Charleston Southern University

Matched not just by selectivity, but by strategic goal — what a family actually decides on.

🏆 Better merit-aid options

These similar-selectivity schools have published auto-merit grids that Charleston Southern University doesnt — your kids scores could unlock real scholarship dollars.

Texas Tech University

TX · Public

31 auto-merit scholarships on file

University of Louisville

KY · Public

19 auto-merit scholarships on file

University of Arkansas

AR · Public

15 auto-merit scholarships on file

University of Mississippi

MS · Public

15 auto-merit scholarships on file