As Charleston Southern University welcomed one of its largest residential populations to campus this Move In Weekend, the university also celebrated record overall enrollment for its traditional undergraduate, graduate, and online headcount — hitting more than 4,000 students for the first time in its 61 years. This is the second year of record-breaking growth, with last year’s number closing in on 3,900.
In addition to a fast-growing aeronautics program, CSU continues to see steady growth in health science-related majors. Military and veteran students as well as transfers are attracted to the faith-based institution in North Charleston. This incoming class is 40 percent ethnically diverse, which continues a long history of Charleston Southern serving as the most diverse university campus in the greater Charleston region and certainly one of the most diverse in the state of South Carolina.
A new residence hall is currently under construction to accommodate the residential growth for CSU as part of its master plan. The university has exceeded housing goals for five years, with overflow housing in the on-campus Wingate Hotel and a waiting list for upperclassmen desiring to live on the 300-acre campus.
Tony Turner, vice president for enrollment management, said, “For the second year in a row, CSU has reached record-breaking enrollment, officially hitting our strategic goal of 4,000 students! This isn’t just growth — it’s a move of God. From the classroom to campus life, we’re seeing lives transformed and faith ignited. Students and families are recognizing something special is happening here — and they want to be part of it. We’re celebrating what the Lord is doing at Charleston Southern, and we invite you to come experience it for yourself. The momentum is real, and the best is yet to come!”
Last year, CSU announced the launch of the Palmetto Academic Excellence (PAE) Award — an extension of its tuition promise program, Buc Promise. PAE offers students the opportunity for tuition, housing, and food covered the three years after their first year at CSU. Buc Promise, a renewable scholarship for Pell-eligible South Carolina residents with a minimum 3.5 high school GPA, offers tuition coverage for top students. Turner said CSU’s long-standing dedication to first-generation college students — nearly a third of CSU’s student body — inspired these programs.
The private Christian university has also made high national rankings for its online degrees, ranking the best among its South Carolina peers for online bachelor’s programs for veterans by US News and World Report.
“It is inspiring to witness how God is blessing Charleston Southern with record-breaking enrollment and to see the university itself transform even as students’ lives are being transformed,” said CSU President B. Keith Faulkner. “There is an exciting and transformative spirit on this campus — we have experienced this already, as our students and their families have settled in during these first few days. Students, faculty, and staff are ready to embark on a new academic year, and we are ready to guide our students through a successful college experience to graduation and beyond.”
To learn more about Charleston Southern University, go to charlestonsouthern.edu.
— Jenna Johnson is executive director of Marketing and Communication at CSU.
