College of Charleston

Charleston, SC · Public

Official website

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Admission rate

College of Charleston admitted 60.0% of applicants university-wide (19,016 of 31,680).

CohortAdmit rateAdmittedApplicants
University-wide60.0%19,01631,680
In-state73.9%5,5157,459
Out-of-state55.8%13,35423,951
International applicants54.4%147270
Early Decision (binding)53.5%402752
Men53.7%4,7798,897
Women62.5%14,23722,783

Early Decision applicants were admitted at 53.5%, vs 60% overall — ED is a binding commitment.

Also offers Early Action (closes Nov 1) — the Common Data Set doesn't publish EA admit counts.

Of 19,016 admitted students, 2,265 enrolled (11.9% yield).

College of Charleston Common Data Set 2024-2025 · Sections C1–C2 · 2024 — Published cohort admit rates — context, not an applicant-specific probability.

Test scores and GPA of admitted students

SAT (mid-50%)
1150–1300
ACT (mid-50%)
25–30
GPA (mid-50%, 4.0 scale)
3.50–4.00

Testing policy: Test-optional (considered if submitted)

College of Charleston Common Data Set 2024-2025 · Sections C9–C12 · 2024 — Published admit stats reflect the entire incoming class unless explicitly labeled international-only.

Cost and financial aid

Published cost of attendance: $57,658/yr.

Out-of-state tuition$38,296
Fees, housing, food, books & other$19,362
Sticker cost of attendance$57,658/yr

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

Under $30k$12,133
$30k–48k$13,406
$48k–75k$16,797
$75k–110k$20,089
Over $110k$24,996

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.

  • Dean's Scholarship — $12,500 per year (Merit)
  • Provost's Scholarship — $10,000 per year (Merit)
  • Excellence Scholarship — $7,500 per year (Merit)
  • Achievement Scholarship — $5,000 per year (Merit)
  • College of Charleston Grant — Up to $5,000 per year (Need Based)
  • President's Scholarship — Full tuition for non-residents (Full Tuition)

International applicants

No need-based aid reported for internationals.

  • Dean's Scholarship — $12,500 per year (Merit)
  • International Academic Award — Up to $10,000 per year (International Aid)
  • Provost's Scholarship — $10,000 per year (Merit)
  • Excellence Scholarship — $7,500 per year (Merit)
  • Achievement Scholarship — $5,000 per year (Merit)
  • President's Scholarship — Full tuition for non-residents (Full Tuition)

College of Charleston Common Data Set 2024-2025 · Sections G–H · 2024

Application requirements

US applicants

  • Complete application via College of Charleston Application or Common App
  • High school transcript
  • Dual enrollment transcript (optional)
  • SAT or ACT scores (optional)
  • Letters of recommendation (up to 2) (optional)
  • Application fee

International applicants

  • Complete application via College of Charleston Application or Common App
  • High school transcript
  • Dual enrollment transcript (optional)
  • SAT or ACT scores (optional)
  • Letters of recommendation (up to 2) (optional)
  • Application fee
  • English proficiency (IELTS/TOEFL)
  • GPA credential conversion
  • Predicted Class XII marksheet
  • Financial documentation (I-20)

College of Charleston · Application requirements (official admissions pages) · 2025

Essay prompts

Draft these in the free Essay Coach

Prompts from the Common App member feed · verified Jul 4, 2026

Graduate outcomes

Median earnings
$56,416
Median earnings · 10 years after entry
Graduation rate
65.8%
Within 150% of normal time
First-year retention
82%
Return for year two · CDS Section B
Median debt
$23,250
At graduation

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

Published rankings

  • WSJ: #459
  • Forbes: #431
  • Niche: #696

Deadlines

  • 2026-11-01Early Action — Non-binding early round
  • 2026-11-01Early Decision — Binding early round
  • 2027-01-15Regular Decision — Standard deadline

College of Charleston Common Data Set 2024-2025 · Sections C21–C22 · 2024

Academics and campus

Largest degree fields: Business & marketing (24%), Biological & life sciences (13%), Psychology (9%).

Student–faculty ratio: 17:1 · 32% of class sections have under 20 students.

College of Charleston Common Data Set 2024-2025 · Sections E, F, I · 2024 — Published institutional figures for the reporting year — descriptive of the current student body, not a prediction about your experience.

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