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Summary
College of Charleston is a public institution that was founded in 1770. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 10,461, its setting is city, and the campus size is 52 acres. It utilizes a semester-based academic calendar. College of Charleston's ranking in the 2013 edition of Best Colleges is Regional Universities (South), 11. Its in-state tuition and fees are $9,616 (2011-12); out-of-state tuition and fees are $24,330 (2011-12).
The College of Charleston’s location in South Carolina positions students for both downtown and beach living. No student is required to live on campus, though freshmen may apply to live either in a residence hall or in a university-owned historic home in downtown Charleston. Sophomores and upperclassmen who would like to live on campus can also apply for university-owned suites and apartments. It’s a scenic place to live, as the campus has made appearances in feature films including The Notebook, Dear John, and The Patriot.
The College of Charleston’s sports teams, known as the Cougars, compete in the NCAA Division I Southern Conference and have been traditionally dominant in baseball, women’s volleyball, and sailing. The school does not have a football team. The student body is more than 60 percent female, and more than a third of College of Charleston students are active in Greek life. The College of Charleston grants graduate degrees through its business school and the Joseph P. Riley Institute for Public Affairs & Policy Studies. Notable alumni of the College of Charleston include actor Matt Czuchry, who has played lead roles on the television shows Gilmore Girls and The Good Wife, and architect Robert Mills, designer of the Washington Monument.
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The College of Charleston is a nationally recognized public liberal arts and sciences university located in the heart of historic Charleston, South Carolina. Founded in 1770, the College is among the nation's top universities for quality education, student life and affordability. The College offers the distinctive combination of a beautiful and historic campus, modern facilities and cutting-edge programs. Students from 50 U.S. states and territories and 65 countries choose the College of Charleston for its small-college feel blended with the advantages and diversity of an urban, mid-sized university. The College provides a creative and intellectually stimulating environment where students are challenged by a committed and caring faculty of distinguished teacher-scholars, all in an incomparable setting. The City of Charleston, world-renowned for its history, culture, architecture and coastal environment, serves our approximately 10,000 undergraduates and 1,500 graduate students as a living and learning laboratory for experiences in business, science, teaching, the humanities, languages and the arts. At the same time, students and faculty are engaged with the community in partnerships to improve education, enhance the business environment and enrich the overall quality of life in the region. |
General Information
| School type | public, coed college |
| Year founded | 1770 |
| Religious affiliation | N/A |
| Academic calendar | semester |
| Setting | city |
| 2011 Endowment | $57,281,467 |
Applying
When applying to College of Charleston, it's important to note the application deadline is April 1, and the early action deadline is November 1. Scores for either the ACT or SAT test are due April 1. The application fee at College of Charleston is $50. It is selective, with an acceptance rate of 73.5 percent and an early acceptance rate of 83.4 percent.
For more information about the tests, essays, interviews, and admissions process, visit the Applying to College knowledge center.
| Selectivity | selective |
| Fall 2011 acceptance rate | 73.5% |
| Application deadline | April 1 |
| SAT/ACT scores must be received by | April 1 |
Academic Life
The student-faculty ratio at College of Charleston is 16:1, and the school has 31.9 percent of its classes with fewer than 20 students. The most popular majors at College of Charleston include: Business/Commerce, General; Social Sciences, General; Education, General; Speech Communication and Rhetoric; and Biology/Biological Sciences, General. The average freshman retention rate, an indicator of student satisfaction, is 82.0 percent.
Student Life
College of Charleston has a total undergraduate enrollment of 10,461, with a gender distribution of 37.8 percent male students and 62.2 percent female students. At this school, 32.4 percent of the students live in college-owned, -operated, or -affiliated housing and 67.6 percent of students live off campus. College of Charleston is part of the NCAA I athletic conference.
See what students are saying about life at College of Charleston.
| Total enrollment | 11,649 |
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| Collegiate athletic association | NCAA I |
Campus Info & Services
College of Charleston offers a number of student services including nonremedial tutoring, placement service, and health service. College of Charleston also offers campus safety and security services like 24-hour foot and vehicle patrols, late night transport/escort service, 24-hour emergency telephones, lighted pathways/sidewalks, student patrols, and controlled dormitory access (key, security card, etc). Of the students at College of Charleston, 35 percent have cars on campus. Alcohol is permitted for students of legal age at College of Charleston.
| Students who have cars on campus | 35% |
| Health insurance offered | No |
| Students required to own/lease a computer | No |
More About Campus Info & Services
Paying for School
At College of Charleston, 47.2 percent of full-time undergraduates receive some kind of need-based financial aid and the average need-based scholarship or grant award is $3,016.
Paying for college doesn't have to be difficult or devastating. Go to the Paying for College knowledge center to get advice on raising cash and reducing costs.
| In-state tuition and fees | $9,616 (2011-12) |
| Out-of-state tuition and fees | $24,330 (2011-12) |
| Room and board | $10,179 (2011-12) |
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* Overview details based on 2011 data
