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College of Charleston

7.9(2)
VerifiedPublicEstd. 1770
Founded
1770
Type
Public
University Guide

About College of Charleston

Explore overview, courses, fees, admissions, campus life, scholarships and student accommodation guidance in one premium Admistay guide.

College of Charleston is a public university located in Charleston, South Carolina, United States. Established in 1770, it is the oldest college in the state and the 13th oldest in the country. The college is also a sea-grant and space-grant institution.

Highlights

University Type Public
Annual Endowment 81 million USD
Student Retention Rate 79%
Work-study program Yes
Mode of Program Full time; Part time; online
Cost of Attendance 48,093 USD
Campus Housing Capacity 31%
Admission Helpdesk 843-953-5670

Programs, Campus & Residence

  • 61 majors, 78 minors in undergraduate programs, 24 graduate programs and 10 graduate certificate programs are offered through 9 schools and colleges.
  • Popular majors are - Business, Management, Marketing; Biological and Biomedical Sciences; Social Sciences; Visual and Performing Arts; and Psychology.
  • The university has a campus of 52 acres with 11 residence halls providing on-campus residence to 31% of student population.

College of Charleston Admission Process

Requirements Transcripts, LOR, SOP
Test Scores ACT/SAT/GRE
English Proficiency Test TOEFL/IELTS/iTEP
Application Fee USD 50
Intake Season Fall – March 1; Spring – August 1; Summer – January 1
Additional Requirements Resume; personal statement; proof of financial support

Applications for both UG and graduate programs are submitted on the official website.

Cost of Attendance & Financial Aids

Expense Estimated Cost in USD
Tuition 30,846
Books and Supplies 1,211
Room & Board 12,048
Other expenses 3,988

Financial Aid

  • 49% of students receive financial aid from the university
  • Average need-based scholarship offered is of USD 3,184.

College of Charleston offers its alumni benefits like career services, insurance programs, library services, alumni store and more.

Courses & Fees

Compare courses in a cleaner, easier way

Explore tuition, duration, language, eligibility, and exam requirements without the clutter.

Courses

63

Fee from

₹24,52,169.7

Exams

IELTS · TOEFL

Showing 5 of 48 bachelors

Overview
Degree TypeBachelor
Duration4 years
Study ModeFull Time
LanguageEnglish
Fees
Tuition FeeINR 34.1 L/Yr
Native FeeUSD 36,398 /Yr
Fee trendTuition progression
Official Program Page
Admission Guide

Admission Process

Admissions at College of Charleston are handled with a holistic approach, wherein factors additional to the academic test scores are also considered which includes overall scholastic readiness, special talents and quality of leadership and extracurricular accomplishments, among others. College of Charleston opens applications for undergraduate students in fall and spring and for graduate students in fall, spring and summer. Academic record with consistent average grade within A or B must be provided at the time of admission.

The minimum SAT and ACT score to ensure high chances of acceptability at the institute must fall between the range of 1100 to 1250. Graduate candidates must submit their GMAT/GRE scores when looking for enrollment in the organization. An average GRE score of 310 or above is considered as a good enough score by the college. International students do not require any separate application to apply for scholarships. Scholarships awarded by the institute are renewable up to 4 years subject to fulfillment of academic requirements.

Highlights

Application portal Online Portal or Common Application
Application Fee 50 USD
Academic Calendar Semester based
Acceptance Rate 72.4%
Student-faculty ratio 14.5:1
Average ACT Score 22-28
Average SAT Score 1090-1250
English proficiency test IELTS/ TOEFL/ Duolingo
Intake season Fall and Spring
Financial aid Merit-based Scholarships
Official website cofc.edu

College of Charleston Admission Deadlines

The college provides a plethora of courses at undergraduate and graduate level, admissions to which are available in the intakes of fall and spring semesters. The classes for fall semester begin in August while classes for spring semester begin in January.

For the fall semester there is an early decision deadline and an early action deadline. Only students whose first priority is Charleston and who do not wish to apply for scholarships must select the early decision deadline. The deadlines for enrolling to various semesters are in the table below:

Semester Deadline Decision
Fall Early Decision 15 October 1 December
Honors College Early Action 1 November 15 December
Regular Decision 15 January 1 March
Spring Semester 1 December Within 6-8 weeks

Check: Application Deadlines for Top Universities

College of Charleston Acceptance Rate 2024

College of Charleston acceptance rate is 76%. This reflects the lightly competitive admission policy of the college. The college houses 10,885 students. This includes 9,972 undergraduate students, and 913 graduate students. About 32% of these students live on campus of the college. International students hailing from 56 countries in the world defines the vibrant student body of the college.

College of Charleston International Admission

The college welcomes international student applications given they have completed high school in the case of undergraduate students and college for graduate students. There are almost 31.4% of international students from 61 foreign countries studying at the college.

Application requirements for international students might differ from domestic students. It is important for applicants to carefully check all requirements and fulfill them within the deadline.

How to apply?

Application Portal: Undergraduate applicants can apply by completing the common application or the COFC application while graduate applicants can complete the online application.

Application Fee: 50 USD

Basic Admission Requirements: International applicants must ensure the submission of required documents by the application deadlines. These documents include:

  • Completed application form
  • Official copies of high school transcript for undergraduate applicants and college transcripts for graduate applicants. All undergraduate transcripts must be evaluated by an approved credential evaluation agency.
  • Transcripts in any language other than English must be submitted along with a word-by-word certified translation in English.
  • Copy of ID page of current passport.
  • Proof of English language proficiency such as scores of TOEFL/ IELTS are accepted.
  • Standard test scores of SAT/ ACT/ GRE/ GMAT based on the level of study.
  • Certificate of Finance for the visa process.

English Language Proficiency Requirements

The international students must demonstrate a minimum level of English proficiency by submitting test scores as specified below:

Test Name Minimum Score Required
TOEFL ( IBT ) 80
Duolingo English Test 105
iTep Academic Plus 3.8
SAT (Evidence-Based reading and writing) 500
ACT (Reading score) 18
ACT (English score) 20
IELTS 6.5

Visa Process for International Students

Students who have been accepted to College of Charleston will be issued an I-20 from the Center for International Education. International students who require an F-1 student visa to study in the USA must have an I-20 before starting the visa process.

Documents necessary for applying for a F-1 student visa are listed below:

  • Certificate of Finance (to be filled by the sponsor)
  • Copy of the ID page of passport
  • Bank statement showing sufficient funds to support the expenses of studying at College of Charleston. It must contain the signature and seal of the bank or government official

College of Charleston Undergraduate Admission

The basic requirements for undergraduate applicants are to submit official high school transcripts with certified English translation. It is advisable that applicants select deadlines wisely such that they are able to gather all necessary materials with the application.

Where to Apply: CofC application or The Common Application
Application Fee: 50 USD
Admission Requirements: Applicants for undergraduate programs must submit the following documents with the application:

  • Completed application form
  • Official high school transcripts
  • Transcripts must be submitted with certified translations
  • Standardized test scores like SAT/ACT or equivalent
  • Copy of picture/ data page of passport

College of Charleston Graduate Admission

College of Charleston master’s programs are offered in 22 subjects and 10 graduate certificate programs through its graduate school for applicants across the globe looking to study in the USA. Application and supporting documents for graduate admissions need to be submitted via the online portal so that they directly reach the graduate school.

A bachelor’s degree in a related field with a competitive GPA on 4.0 is required for applying. Transcripts from all institutions attended outside the U.S. must be submitted along with evaluation from credential service agencies.

Specific requirements for graduate programs offered by the institute can be found in the table below:

The course-specific admission requirements for top masters degree programs are tabulated below:

Requirements Masters of Business Administration Master of Science in Accountancy Master of Arts in English Master of Science in Environmental and Sustainability Studies Master of Education in Science and Math for Teachers
Application Deadline April 1 Fall deadline: July 1 Summer deadline: March 1 Fall deadline: July 1 Spring deadline: November 1 Summer deadline: March 1 Fall deadline: July 1 Spring deadline: November 1 Summer deadline: March 1 Fall deadline: July 1 Spring deadline: November 1 Summer deadline: March 1
Transcripts Required Required Required Required Required
GMAT/ GRE Required Required, GMAT score of 530 or above Required, GRE composite score 300 and 4.0 in writing, MAT score of 45 Required, GRE composite scores 305, writing score 4.0 Required, GRE or PRAXIS scores
Goal Statement Required Not Required Required Required Required
Work experience Not required Not Required Not required Not required Not required
Resume Required Not Required Not required Not required Not Required
Recommendation letter Required, 2 letters Required, 2 letters Required, 2 letters Required, 3 letters Required, 2 letters
Admission Interview Required (in person or virtual) Not Required Not required Not required Not required

Note:

  1. Applicants for Master of Arts in English must include a writing sample.
  2. For pursuing environmental and sustainability studies at the institute, students must have previous coursework in biology, chemistry, statistics and the American government.
  3. Applicants for Master of Education must hold a valid teaching certificate or rationale intent for informal education.

The institute recommends taking both SAT and ACT as the higher score would be accepted. The standardized tests should be taken at the earliest; this gives students an opportunity to test again in case of low scores. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, tests are also being offered online and are highly recommended to be taken. Resume, Letters of Recommendation are optional but if attached, show the earnestness of the student.

College of Charleston usually takes admission decisions approximately within 6-8 weeks after the application deadline has passed. Following the confirmation of admission, the college will issue I-20 form so that students can start the visa procedure. Every admitted student must take part in the 2-day advising and registration process organized by the Academic Advising and Planning Center as part of campus orientation.

Placements & Recruiters

College of Charleston Placement Details

College of Charleston in Charleston, South Carolina, United States placement details include salary insights, top recruiters, and hiring trends to help students understand career outcomes and campus opportunities.

Students usually compare highest package, average package, and recruiter profile before applying. This section gives a compact overview of career outcomes and placement visibility in Charleston, South Carolina, United States.

Recruiters
N/A
Salary Metrics
0/2
Placement Metric

Highest Package

N/A

Represents the top salary package reported in the available placement information.

Placement Metric

Average Package

N/A

Shows the typical package range students may expect based on the available average salary data.

Placement information is currently limited.

More salary or recruiter data may be updated later for this college.

Rankings over the years

Year-wise highlights from global and country rankings available for this university.

2022

Highlights
2022
  • Best overall country rank: #199
  • Business: #69 in country
  • Top source: Bloomberg
  • 2 ranked streams
  • Focus areas: Overall, Business
  • 3 ranking records in 2022

2023

Highlights
2023
  • Best overall country rank: #199
  • Business: #48 in country
  • Top source: US News
  • 2 ranked streams
  • Focus areas: Overall, Business
  • 1 ranking record in 2023

2024

Highlights
2024
  • Best overall country rank: #66
  • Arts: #38 in country
  • Top source: THE
  • 6 ranked streams
  • Focus areas: Overall, Arts
  • 2 ranking records in 2024

2025

Highlights
2025
  • Best overall country rank: #60
  • Public Policy: #19 in country
  • Top source: US News
  • 7 ranked streams
  • Focus areas: Overall, Arts
  • 3 ranking records in 2025

2026

Highlights
2026
  • Social Studies: #122 in country
  • Top source: Collegedunia
  • 3 ranked streams
  • Focus areas: Arts, Humanities
  • 1 ranking record in 2026

Contact Information

66 George Street Charleston, SC 29424 USA

+1-843-953-5500

Student Reviews & Ratings

Overall sentiment and category-wise rating summary

Overall score

7.9/10
Top Rated

Based on 2 ratings

Rating Breakdown

Visual summary of rating distribution and categories

Live Summary
Academic
8.0/10
Faculty
8.5/10
Infrastructure
8.0/10
Accommodation
8.0/10
Placement
7.0/10
Extracurricular
8.0/10