by our College Data Analytics TeamA large number of students will not be asked to pay the advertised price of a school. Instead, they will be provided a financial aid package that will include a combination of scholarships, grants, loans, and work-study. The price tag of going to College of Charleston can appear tremendous, but do not forget that almost all students obtain some kind of financial help.
Just what financing solutions does C of C provide, and just what are you going to be eligible for? Keep scrolling for answers. Scroll down to find out what amount of financial assistance will be accessible to you.
The amount of financial aid and scholarships you are eligible for will vary depending on your family’s income. The information provided on this page can help you determine how much aid you may receive from College of Charleston.
Through a mix of loans, grants, work-study and scholarships, schools bring down the effective cost so more students can attend. However, some types of aid are more desirable than others, and some students will receive more than others.
Looking at the entering class at College of Charleston, 95% of entering full-time freshmen got some type of financial assistance approximately 2508 freshmen).
| Type of Aid | % of Freshmen Receiving | Average Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Grant or scholarship aid (all sources) | 95% | $8,983 |
| Institutional grants & scholarships | 84% | $6,332 |
| Federal Pell grants | 19% | $5,630 |
| State/local grants | 38% | $5,555 |
| Federal student loans | 46% | $5,263 |
Grants and scholarships are the most valuable form of aid because, unlike loans, they never have to be repaid. At C of C, roughly 68% of undergraduate students received gift aid averaging $10,608 (across roughly 7198 awardees).
| Award | % of Undergrads Receiving | Average Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Grant or scholarship aid (all sources) | 68% | $10,608 |
| Federal Pell grants | 19% | $5,441 |
| Federal student loans | 38% | $6,333 |
For on-campus title-IV students, average grant aid came to $13,402.
How much a family pays depends heavily on income, because most aid is awarded on the basis of financial need.
| Family Income | Average Net Price |
|---|---|
| $0 – $48,000 | $13,179 |
| $30,001 – $75,000 | $15,809 |
| Over $75,000 | $24,257 |
Each amount is the average cost remaining once grant aid is subtracted, by income band.
Net price is the cost remaining after grant and scholarship aid is subtracted from the sticker price, and it is the most useful single number for estimating real cost.
| Cohort | Average Net Price |
|---|---|
| On-campus title-IV students | $18,960 |
| Off-campus title-IV students | $19,518 |
For a personalized estimate based on your family’s financial situation, use C of C’s NPC: charleston.edu/cost-aid/tuition-fees/net-price-calculator.php.
The median federal debt load at C of C comes to $17,500 of cumulative federal debt.
| Metric | Amount |
|---|---|
| Median federal debt (all student-aid borrowers) | $17,500 |
| Median federal debt (graduates only) | $23,250 |
| Typical 10-year monthly payment (graduates) | $246.49/mo |
At a typical 10-year repayment schedule, the median graduate would pay about the monthly figure above.
Percentiles reveal the spread — half of all borrowers fall between the 25th and 75th percentiles. These percentiles trace how cumulative federal debt is spread among borrowers at C of C.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $3,500 |
| 25th percentile | $5,500 |
| 75th percentile | $26,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $31,000 |
The figures below break down median federal debt by income tier, first-generation status, and dependency.
By Family Income
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $19,500 |
| Middle income | $17,132 |
| High income | $15,000 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Median Debt
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $18,500 |
| Continuing-generation students | $15,000 |
Dependency-Status Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $16,750 |
| Independent students | $21,721 |
A handful of calculated indicators summarize the debt outlook at C of C.
Stafford loans make up the bulk of federal direct lending to undergraduates. The totals below capture Stafford lending at C of C:
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Stafford loan recipients | 29883 |
| Total Stafford loan amount | $541,904,080 |
The GI Bill and DoD Tuition Assistance are the main federal aid routes for veterans and service members.
Post-9/11 GI Bill recipients
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| GI Bill recipients | 329 |
| Total GI Bill amount | $3,978,061 |
| Average GI Bill amount per recipient | $12,091 |
Active-duty Tuition Assistance recipients
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| DoD Tuition Assistance recipients | 10 |
| Total DoD amount | $28,000 |
| Average DoD amount per recipient | $2,800 |
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.