Charleston Southern University

Charleston, SC · Private

Official website

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Admission rate

Charleston Southern University admitted 96.5% of applicants university-wide (4,495 of 4,660).

CohortAdmit rateAdmittedApplicants
University-wide96.5%4,4954,660
In-state75.0%2,1002,800
Out-of-state70.0%7001,000
International applicants50.0%100200
Men96.2%1,5051,564
Women96.6%2,9903,096

Of 4,495 admitted students, 795 enrolled (17.7% yield).

Charleston Southern University U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard · Sections C1–C2 · 2023Published cohort admit rates — context, not an applicant-specific probability.

Test scores and GPA of admitted students

SAT (mid-50%)
930–1160
ACT (mid-50%)
18–24
GPA (mid-50%, 4.0 scale)
3.003.74

Testing policy: Test-optional (considered if submitted)

Charleston Southern University U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard · Sections C9–C12 · 2023Published admit stats reflect the entire incoming class unless explicitly labeled international-only.

Cost and financial aid

Published cost of attendance: $52,420/yr.

Out-of-state tuition$32,520
Fees, housing, food, books & other$19,900
Sticker cost of attendance$52,420/yr

Average net price by family income (US, federal aid data)

Under $30k$20,145
$30k–48k$23,024
$48k–75k$20,697
$75k–110k$21,648
Over $110k$23,226

U.S. Dept. of Education · College Scorecard — average net price by family income (Title IV, from IPEDS) · 2023

US applicants

Need- and merit-based aid available.

  • Academic ScholarshipUp to $14,000 per year (Merit)
  • Presidential Scholarship$10,000 per year (Presidential)
  • Dean's Scholarship$7,000 per year (Merit)
  • Athletic ScholarshipVaries (Athletic)
  • CSU GrantVaries (Need Based)

International applicants

No need-based aid reported for internationals.

  • Academic ScholarshipUp to $14,000 per year (Merit)

Charleston Southern University U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard · Sections G–H · 2023

Application requirements

US applicants

  • Online Application
  • High School Transcript
  • SAT/ACT/CLT Scores (optional)
  • Academic Reference Form
  • Application fee

International applicants

  • Online Application
  • High School Transcript
  • SAT/ACT/CLT Scores (optional)
  • Academic Reference Form
  • Application fee
  • English proficiency (IELTS/TOEFL)
  • GPA credential conversion
  • Predicted Class XII marksheet
  • Financial documentation (I-20)

Charleston Southern University · Application requirements (official admissions pages) · 2025

Essay prompts

Charleston Southern University requires no supplemental essays.

Prompts from the Common App member feed · verified Jul 3, 2026

Graduate outcomes

Median earnings
$45,898
Median earnings · 10 years after entry
Graduation rate
47.2%
Within 150% of normal time
First-year retention
63%
Return for year two · CDS Section B
Median debt
$26,471
At graduation

Charleston Southern University · U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard (2023 release) · 2023Earnings and debt figures are federal data for aid-receiving graduates — cohort outcomes, not a guarantee for any individual student.

Academics and campus

Largest degree fields: Business & marketing (18%), Biological & life sciences (8%), Psychology (7%).

Student–faculty ratio: 15:1 · 53% of class sections have under 20 students.

Charleston Southern University U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard · Sections E, F, I · 2023Published institutional figures for the reporting year — descriptive of the current student body, not a prediction about your experience.

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