by our College Data Analytics TeamThis guide covers the real cost of attending Charleston Southern University, including attendance costs, projected four- and two-year degree costs, average net price, debt outcomes, and how aid is distributed across income levels.
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The total published cost of attendance at Charleston Southern University comes to about $43,989.00 per academic year.
Below, the published cost is shown three ways — the full sticker price with no aid, the net price after the average grant package, and the net price for low-income students who typically receive the most aid.
| Tuition and fees | $32,520.00 |
| + Room, board & other expenses | $11,469.00 |
| Total cost | $43,989.00 |
| That is 34% above the national average net price. |
| Total cost | $43,989.00 |
| − Grants and scholarships | −$22,892.00 |
| Net price | $21,097.00 |
| That is 36% below the national average net price. |
| Total cost | $43,989.00 |
| − Grants and scholarships | −$24,413.00 |
| Net price | $19,576.00 |
| That is 40% below the national average net price. | |
| Want the line-by-line detail? Dig into tuition and fees plus living costs. |
Published costs have climbed year over year by roughly 4.0% per year, so the four-year total runs well above today’s cost. These tables carry the cost across a degree for three cases: low-income w/ aid, average aid, and no aid. The loan rows amortise the projected total over a ten-year, 6.8% repayment.
| Projected 4-year net costs | Low Income w/ Aid | w/ Average Aid | No Aid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual growth rate | 4.0% | 4.0% | 4.0% |
| Freshman year | $20,355.00 | $21,936.00 | $45,739.00 |
| Senior year | $22,882.00 | $24,660.00 | $51,417.00 |
| Total 4-year net price | $86,407.00 | $93,121.00 | $194,164.00 |
| 10-year loan interest @ 6.8% | $32,918.00 | $35,476.00 | $73,970.00 |
| Total monthly payment | $994.00 | $1,072.00 | $2,234.00 |
| Total amount paid | $119,325.00 | $128,596.00 | $268,134.00 |
| Projected 2-year net costs | Low Income w/ Aid | w/ Average Aid | No Aid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual growth rate | 4.0% | 4.0% | 4.0% |
| Freshman year | $20,355.00 | $21,936.00 | $45,739.00 |
| Senior year | $21,164.00 | $22,809.00 | $47,558.00 |
| Total 2-year net price | $41,519.00 | $44,745.00 | $93,297.00 |
| 10-year loan interest @ 6.8% | $15,817.00 | $17,046.00 | $35,543.00 |
| Total monthly payment | $478.00 | $515.00 | $1,074.00 |
| Total amount paid | $57,336.00 | $61,791.00 | $128,840.00 |
Read more in the net-price section.
Net price reflects the true cost to attend after grant and scholarship aid is deducted. This is the more honest cost figure for most families, since it accounts for institutional and federal aid.
| Average net price (on-campus) | $21,666.00 |
| Average net price (off-campus) | $21,955.00 |
What families actually pay shifts with income, since need-based grants are larger for lower-income students. The breakdown below splits average net price across income brackets:
| Family income | Average net price |
|---|---|
| Under $30,000 | $19,840.00 |
| $30,000 to $48,000 | $19,236.00 |
| $48,001 to $75,000 | $22,405.00 |
| $75,001 to $110,000 | $23,957.00 |
| Over $110,000 | $23,804.00 |
Use Charleston Southern University Net Price Calculator, or visit the financial aid office.
Want to know how that aid is awarded? See the financial aid page.
Median graduate debt at Charleston Southern University comes to $18,250.00, which federal data classifies as a Low ($10-20k) debt-load classification.
Across borrowers, debt at graduation distributes like this:
| Percentile | Debt at graduation |
|---|---|
| 10th | $3,750.00 |
| 25th | $6,500.00 |
| Median (50th) | $18,250.00 |
| 75th | $28,768.00 |
| 90th | $39,625.00 |
The 10th-to-90th-percentile spread is one signal of how variable debt outcomes are across the student body.
Dig deeper into debt on the student loan debt page.
Family income tracks closely with debt at graduation. The table below divides borrowers into three income tiers:
| Family income | Median debt at graduation |
|---|---|
| Low income | $16,601.00 |
| Middle income | $18,848.00 |
| High income | $18,500.00 |
Debt at graduation often differs for first-generation students.
| Student group | Median debt at graduation |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $18,500.00 |
| Continuing-generation students | $16,750.00 |
First-generation borrowers from Charleston Southern University take on $1,750.00 in extra median debt compared with continuing-generation peers.
Pell Grants are the federal government’s primary need-based undergraduate aid program. Pell vs non-Pell comparisons surface how debt breaks down by need.
The Pell-versus-non-Pell median debt difference at Charleston Southern University comes to $3,641.00. The Department of Education flags this school for a Pell-debt-inequity pattern.
The default-rate classification at Charleston Southern University is Low (<5%).
| Window | Cohort default rate |
|---|---|
| 2-year | 6.0% |
To put the rates in context, Stafford loans at Charleston Southern University amount to $348,647,048.00 over 15,632 recipients.
Veterans and active-duty service members may qualify for substantial federal education benefits such as the Post-9/11 GI Bill and DoD Tuition Assistance.
| GI Bill recipients | 179 |
| Avg GI Bill amount | $23,064.00 |
| DoD Tuition Assistance recipients | 37 |
| Avg DoD Tuition Assistance | $2,311.00 |
Read more about military and veteran aid on the college veterans page.
Numbers only tell part of the story. As you weigh Charleston Southern University, think through the questions below:
Use the pages below to go deeper on a specific part of the cost story:
Data sources. Figures on this page draw from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), and MediaFactual editorial review. Net-price calculator and financial-aid office links are taken from the institution’s own published data.